The Channel Island of Jersey will reach the last stage in its ratification of its new gambling law on July 18. That date will see the start of a projected four-day debate in the island parliament the States of Jersey, on the final processes in a long-anticipated move to an online gaming jurisdiction.
The new law will cover all aspects of gambling - the island already has 29 bookmakers’ shops, with terminal betting on heavily supervised software, plus a lottery – but the key area is e-gaming. Jersey will become a new jurisdiction and in the words of Jersey Enterprise, the island’s government body dedicated to bring new investment to the island, it will be “open for business.”
Previous stages in the governmental process has seen the establishment of a Jersey Gambling Commission, which will carry out the due diligence for online gaming licenses, under the Chairman Graham White, one-time Chief Inspector of the Gaming Board for Great Britain. The Commission is a strictly independent body which will determine what and who will be permitted into Jersey’s new gambling regime.
“There are many attractions to Jersey as a new e-gaming jurisdiction,” said Jason Lane, CEO of the Commission. “No company taxes, no VAT, no gambling taxes, just an annual licence fee and a fair and thorough, but flexible Commission ensuring integrity and transparency. But Jersey’s established track record as a global leader in financial services and through that, its sophisticated e-commerce abilities, plus its communications and lifestyle, will ensure that it quickly attains prominence as a jurisdiction of choice.”
A Special Issue on Jersey’s online gaming potential will be produced in InterGamingi in July.
