The Isle of Man’s Department of Economic Development has registered a sharp increase in interest from owners and operators across the globe, following a highly successful showing from the Island at the ICE Totally Gaming Exhibition in London, last week.
 
The Department’s E-Gaming team saw a high traffic to its stand across all three days. The team was supported by services providers from across the Island, including corporate service providers, lawyers, accountants, data centres and telecoms firms. Prominent on-Island companies such as Microgaming were also well-represented at the event.
 
Much of the interest came from companies hailing from the UK, Europe, and Australasia, as well as from emerging sub-sectors from within the e-gaming field, such as social media gaming, as well as spread betting and forex, reflecting shifting trends within the industry.
 
Tim Craine, Head of E-Gaming at the Department of Economic Development, comments:
‘We are absolutely delighted with the showing at ICE this year. The stand saw tremendous footfall and the number of new business leads generated has been exceptional.
 
‘A year ago the majority of enquiries received centred on the Isle of Man proposition. This year, however, the majority of enquiries were from businesses actively looking to locate here, asking about the practicalities.
 
‘This shift is a testament to the ongoing success and growth of the sector on the Island, as well as international recognition of the Isle of Man’s quality as a base for e-gaming companies, thanks to its innovative and robust regulatory regime, world-class ICT infrastructure, location at the doorstep of Europe, and its pro-business attitude.’
 
David Hudson, Group Director at SMP Partners, the Isle of Man headquartered corporate services provider also commented:

‘ICE Totally Gaming is a coming together of the world’s e-gaming community and as such, our e-Gaming team are strong ambassadors for the Isle of Man’s Department of Economic Development in promoting the Island as a highly attractive jurisdiction in which to base e-gaming operations.
 
‘At the exhibition we not only met a significant number of new potential entrants to the Island’s licensing regime, but also secured a significant amount of new business that will be establishing operations on the Island over the coming months.’
 
Alex Downie OBE, MLC, Political Member for e-Gaming, Isle of Man Government Department of Economic Development commented further: 

‘’The growth of the e-Gaming sector on the Island over the past decade has been phenomenal, but the experience at ICE serves to underline that this is only the beginning. The Isle of Man has firmly established itself as a first-rate jurisdiction in the eyes of the growing international e-Gaming community. As part of the ‘team’ from the Island, the delegation included the full support of the regulator’s office.  It is the combination of the support that the e-Gaming Team provides to our industry and the support that we in turn receive from them that is the recipe for our success, and we can expect the industry to move from strength to strength in coming years.’