The British Channel Islands are often considered to be among the world's leaders in off-shore finance. Although these islands are dependencies of the Crown, they are not subject to or part of UK or EU legislation. This has allowed the Channel Islands to act independently, and this prompted Alderney to set up the Alderney Gambling Control Commission in 2000.

The AGCC is a non-political, independent body, regulating e-gaming on Alderney's behalf. The Commission's top priority is to ensure its standards, as well as the standards of all operators with an Alderney license, meeting the high standards of international gaming.

In 2005, the Alderney Gambling Commission voted to allow a more capitalistic, free market approach to e-gaming by allowing all licensees from the jurisdiction to accept bets from players all around the world - even the US at the time.

A year later, in 2006, the Commission then introduced brand new provisions and created the first eGambling license covering multiple types of remote and non-remote games, including sports books, lotteries, poker, and casino play.

The same year, the Commission also introduced the Restricted Use eGambling license, which allows operators to control an alternate site within Alderney's jurisdiction while the main site operates at another location. For a daily fee, operators are given access and allowed to use their equipment hosted in Alderney.

If an operator wants to switch to a full-time basis, then a switch from Restricted Use to an eGambling license is required. There have since been other provisions dealing directly with the advertising of gambling. All operators with a license from the Commission must take care not to promote their activities to minors under the age of 18.

License holders must also run fair and reputable sites. All payouts are required to be met, and if an operator fails to live up to this standard, the license will be revoked. Before the license is even received, a thorough inspection process gets underway, revealing if operators have any prior criminal history or if they're trying to defraud the city.

The fee for a license is relatively low in comparison with other jurisdictions, but the level of security is extremely high. As a regulatory authority, the AGCC does a great job at weeding out the undesirables preemptively.

For an eGambling license which covers casinos, sports books, lottery games and poker, the annual fee is 70,000 GBP. Also, the applicant must pay for all investigations that took place during the process. A deposit of 10,000 GBP, nonrefundable, is required to start the investigation progress. In addition to the actual application, a thorough compliance test will take place to ensure that all corporations are extremely reputable.

Apart from the full eGambling licenses and Restricted Use licenses, Alderney also offers Hosting certificates and Associate certificates. Processing applicants can take a few weeks or a few months.

Corporation Tax Rate
0%

Gaming Tax Rate
No additional taxes

Minimum Share Capital for iGaming Company
£2

Security Requirements / Indemnity for Player Deposits
A variety of mechanisms are acceptable commensurate with the Business Plan and commercial performance of the operator.

Licence Fee
£70,000 per year in lieu of all taxes (currently under review with a view to reducing the cost for start-up/smaller operators).

Licence Length
One year

Software Testing Requirements
Yes. Technical standards are published by AGCC.

Reporting Requirements to Regulators
Periodic financial reports are required.

Anti-Money Laundering Policy
All operators must comply with AML legislation in force.

Country Restrictions
No restrictions.

Contact Details
Head of e-Commerce Development
Alderney Gambling
State of Alderney
PO Box 1, Island Hall,
Royal Connaught Square
Alderney
British Channel Islands
UK
GY9 3AA

Tel: +44 207 993 8564
Email: info@alderneygambling.com