The Isle of Man Government announces the introduction of a Network Services Licence for business to business e-Gaming operators. The Network Services Licence is a new level of licence available under the existing Online Gambling Regulation Act 2001 (OGRA) and is designed to recognise the business to business relationships that many gaming operators now have. The licence gives Isle of Man based gaming operations the opportunity to make their platform available to business customers around the world. The cost of the new licence is ?50,000 per year plus ?5,000 per overseas customer. Duty will be paid on retained profit at a maximum rate of 1.5%. It is anticipated that this new business model will not only attract new and larger businesses into the Isle of Man but it will also increase opportunities for those businesses already based on the Island to develop relationships with companies across the globe. The Development Team is already talking to a number of interested parties. Commenting on the launch, Garth Kimber, Head of e-Gaming Development at the Isle of Man Government said: “The introduction of this level of licence gives us the ability to satisfy every model of gaming business in the Isle of Man from those selling their platform capabilities to other businesses to those with direct customers. Our system is now in three tiers; Network Services Licence, Standard Licence and Sub-Licence. The level of licence required is dictated by the type of business-to-business relationships a company intends to pursue and covers all gaming activities from sportsbook to poker and involves the same application process. All levels of licence are still processed in a maximum of 12 weeks. The creation of this new licence demonstrates our ability to keep pace with the dynamism of the e-gaming industry without over complicating licensing. There remain many activities such as software downloads and marketing for example, which can be carried out without the need for a licence as we are focussed on the key issues of regulation, protecting players by ensuring their funds are protected and that games are fair. We must continue to adapt our regulation and approach not only to ensure continued protection for players on our licensed sites but to remain a commercially attractive jurisdiction to all kinds of gaming business. Our close working relationships with customers and with the Regulator, Steve Brennan and his team at the Gambling Supervision Commission are central to this.” Commenting on this latest development, Minister for Economic Development, Allan Bell MHK, said, “I look forward to welcoming the additional business opportunities that will come from this new development. The strengths of the Isle of Man as an e-gaming licensing jurisdiction continue to match the needs of some of the world’s leading gaming businesses but we cannot afford to rest on our laurels. This development opens the door to more diverse businesses and will only be positive in terms of economic value and eventually job creation for the island.” Alex Downie OBE MLC, Department of Economic Development member representing e-Gaming, Isle of Man Government commented: “The delivery of the Network Services Licence is a prime example of the collaborative approach that the Isle of Man adopts in developing the e-gaming sector. It’s only through talking to the industry that we can hope to continue to meet their needs into the future.” Financial assistance is available for e-gaming companies creating economic value in the Isle of Man through the Department of Economic Development. -Ends-