Alderney Gambling Control Commission

The gambling Commission is empowered to grant two different licences. They cover a broad spectrum of different gaming types, both land-based and online. The first licence is a Category 1, which related to business to consumer licenses. This licence includes provisions for the management of player funds, the registration and verification of players and the organization of gaming operations. A Category 2 licence relates to all operational aspects of a licensee and includes all of the Category 1 provisions. In order to obtain a licence an operator must provide a detailed application accompanied with relevant documentation that includes financials and an application fee to cover the cost of the application process. Depending on the type of operation the applicant is wishing to be licenced for, they may be required to apply for both a category 1 and 2 licence.

There are a number of benefits offered to licensees such as potential tax exception however all licensees are required to pay a yearly fee for the said licence. Additional tax benefits such as sales tax and other related duties are except from licensees. Thus, the yearly cost for a licence is based on the net income. The yearly fee can top as much as ₤140,000 and as low as ₤35,000, which is a small price to pay when considering the other benefits provided by the commission. The Category 2 licence is only available for a company that is based solely in Alderney. This allows those companies to operate multiple gaming sites, as well as operate sites for other operators under that licence. The licence allows online bingo operators to offer legal bingo to players around the world (as long as your country does not have online gaming legislation that prevents them from gambling online).

The Alderney Gambling Control Commission has a number of other guidelines operators must follow. All operators must maintain a positive cash flow to ensure players receive winnings but there is not a provision that clearly states player fund protection. They make suggestions regarding player fund protection but as of yet have not enacted this into law. The commission suggests that online bingo operators should be open about banking practices of the site in question. In other words, whether player deposits are held separately and not used for day-to-day operation. Any respectable site will already do this but it would be beneficial to the commission to enact this into law.

The commission does act in the player’s best interest under its authority. They do this by accessing the background of those involved in a operators business, accessing all internal controls as hey related to the licence holder, ensuring fairness and the proper auditing of the games offered, the review of marketing practices, the investigation of all and any player complaints and through the continuation of review in relation to the above.

In the event a player wishes to file a complaint with the commission, they may do so via email or direct mail. All complaints will receive a written reply advising the complainant on the direction of the complaint. It is expectation that any player registering a complaint will have undertaken all reasonable means towards resolution prior to contacting the commission. The commission will seek to gather all relevant evidence from both parties in order to render a decision. Should a player be unhappy with the results of the investigation and subsequent outcome, the commission allows complainants to appeal to the executives within the commission. It should be noted that should this occur those who filed the appeal to the executive might be held responsible for all related costs.

Overall, the Alderney Gambling Control Commission provides for a higher level of accountability to operators. The commission is established and its rules/regulations are in line with the laws of other regulatory bodies. The only complaint we have with the AGCC licence is that operators are not required to segregate player funds. We believe that player funds must be held in a separate account and such a thing “should” be required and monitored as a condition of the licence. Because this requirement is not spelled out in Alderney’s licencing, we award the AGCC a “B” – citing that the absence of these requirements is the only issue keeping them from receiving an “A”.

Official Website: Alderney Gambling Control Commission