Alderney Regulator Gets Award
Published: Friday, June 03, 2005 Online-Casinos.com
ALDERNEY REGULATOR GETS AWARD
Andr� Wilsenach Named Online Casino Regulator of the Year
Channel Islands online gambling jurisdiction Alderney was in the news last week as the Alderney Gambling Control Commission was named for excellence by the World Online Gambling Law Report.
The Commission's CEO, Andr� Wilsenach, was chosen as "Regulator of the Year 2005 by the Report. The former South African has also served as CEO of a South African provincial gaming board, and was at one time a member of South Africa's National Gaming Board. He is currently a member of a number of associated organisations which monitor and regulate both land-based and online casino sites.
Alderney Gambling Commission chairman John Godfrey paid tribute to Wilsenach, saying that his energy and skill has made Alderney "...the top name for online gambling regulators."
The Commission was also reported to be engaging with Alderney legislators in revising laws to ensure that the island does not lose business following any future UK developments in regard to the licensing of online gambling.
Although the island is a UK entity, it is self governing and has passed legislation that allows online casino and gambling sites to operate within regulations that meet most international standards.
In 2004 gambling profits increased 43 percent on the island with a surplus of GBP 767 794, and the government is concerned that the new UK developments do not prejudice the continued success of the jurisdiction. It is therefore likely that changes will be implemented to ensure that Alderney remains competitive.
One area may be the current requirement that at least one worker from each online casino company be physically present on the island. It has been reported that legislators may seek to relax that rule. There are also plans to open internet hosting in Guernsey, another one of the Channel Isles, which is thought to have a stronger IT infrastructure and is thus better connected to the Internet.
Last year alone the Commission awarded six new licences to blue chip operators worldwide: Wagerworks (Alderney) 4 Limited, Blue Square Gaming (Alderney) Limited, WagerWorks (Alderney) 5 Limited, Cantor Casino (Alderney) Limited, Paddy Power (Alderney) Limited and Samvo International Limited.
In addition, The AGCC issued a total of five Certificates of Prior Approval: Tribeca Tables Software LLC, Gaming & Entertainment Group Inc; Secure & Holdings Ltd., Chartwell Technology Ltd. and Orbis Technology Ltd.
The total number of AGCC licence holders now stands at 14 operators and includes among others, top names Ritz Interactive, SkyBet, Hard Rock Casino, Lucky Me, The Price is Right, Blue Square Gaming, Virgin Games, Cantor Casino, Paddy Power and Samvo International.
AGCC Chairman John Godfrey says that in order for Alderney to "...safeguard its worldwide lead and to continue attracting blue chip international operators," it has carried out a review of legislation and has proposed changes that include bringing to an end the requirement for licence holders to have a nominee on the island.
The fee for an interactive gaming licence or an electronic betting licence is GBP 75,000 per year, and GBP 30 000 for a Certificate of Prior Approval.
