The Alderney Advantage
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ALDERNEY - YOUR ACCESS TO WORLD MARKETS eFocusedalderneygambling.com The Alderney Advantage What makes Alderney a World leader in eGambling regulation? 1 alderneygambling.com PO Box 1015, Alderney, British Channel Islands, United Kingdom GY9 3HT Phone: +44 (0)7990 015888 Email: [email protected] 2 Contents Introduction 04 Licensing with Alderney 05 Jurisdictions comparison 06 The future of the regulator 07 Tax hurdles 08 Latest developments 10 A closer look 11 3 Introduction Welcome to our new look eFocused magazine We’ve found our publication to be the 2. Approachability – The AGCC does perfect channel for sharing all the vital not reside in an ivory tower far out of the information about licensing in Alderney. reach of its licensees. The AGCC is run It is sent out as our very first contact with by very real, approachable individuals, new enquirers so if you are new to the all with many years’ experience of the Alderney regime and all it can offer – industry. Unique to Alderney’s structure, welcome, and thank you for reading! each licensee is appointed a relationship manager at the start of the licensing In this latest issue you’ll find everything journey. The relationship manager will you need to inform your decision be the first port of call for all enquiries, making about eGambling licensing. updates, annual audits and renewals. From the types of licence required They will really understand your business and why you should choose Alderney, and their expertise can be called upon to information about the ways in anytime to assist you to grow and which we’re working to ensure that develop your activities – tailoring their we maintain our position as a world services to your operational requirements. leading online gambling destination. 3. Stability – Alderney forms part of The Alderney Gambling Control the Bailiwick of Guernsey and therefore Commission (AGCC) has been enjoys a unique relationship with the around for many years and most in larger Island. Being neither part of the the industry will recognise it by name. EU or EEA, the jurisdiction remains Spending my time travelling the globe unaffected by Brexit. Alderney offers I’ve been able to speak to hundreds a stable political environment and a of people who know about Alderney, transparent and low tax system with no but interestingly, it’s what they don’t corporate tax, gaming duty or VAT. In its know about us that’s of most interest. latest Moneyval inspection, the AGCC was given a glowing report with hardly So I’d like to open this issue of any recommendations - testament to the eFocused by enlightening readers excellence of its approach to maintaining with some (mostly) unknown truths the highest standards of AML/CFT. about licensing with Alderney: Of course there are far more advantages 1. Flexibility – The AGCC take a risk- to licensing with Alderney and I based approach to the entire process of hope this publication provides you licensing and regulation. This means that with a flavour of what we offer. the level of regulation and administration required can be adjusted according to I’d be delighted to talk to you anytime the risk factor of the business activities about your licensing requirements or even the geographical location of the and the opportunities available business. Applications are assessed on to you. Please feel free to call or a case by case basis. All of this serves to email to start the conversation. ensure that the process is straightforward for all parties involved – minimising Susan O’Leary administrative and regulatory burden Director of eCommerce when a lighter touch can be applied. States of Alderney No part of this publication may be copied or reproduced without the written permission of the publishers. Opinions expressed in eFocused are not necessarily those of AlderneyGambling. com or Langlois Robertshaw and Delbridge (LRD). AlderneyGambling.com and LRD do not accept responsibility for advertising content. PLEASE NOTE: Whilst every effort has been made by the publishers and their agents to ensure that this magazine is comprehensive and accu- rate, they cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions, or the results thereof. 04 Licensing with Alderney Alderney’s world renowned licensing regime The activity of your business will determine the kind of licence required from Alderney. Our modular approach to regulation has not only simplified the requirements for operators, but has ensured longevity of the regulation in an ever evolving marketplace. Fundamentally, our licensing regime separates the two distinct functions of eGambling. A Category 1 Licence covers all aspects of player management and the Category 2 Licence covers all aspects of providing the games and betting activities. Category 1 Licence Core Services Associate Business to Customer Certificate(CSAC) Registering, verifying and contracting with Providing gambling specific software – the customer and managing player funds. such as games – to an Alderney Licensee. A Core Services Associate Certificate Once player verification has been is required if an operator wishes to completed, the player can be offered provide 3rd party services (gambling activities from either a Category 2 licensed software, player fund deposit, company platform in Alderney, or any other platform management) to an Alderney operator. licensed by a competent authority. Operators are free to build up their own Fees portfolio of games and activities. Alderney is a low tax jurisdiction and only levies a Category 2 Licence modest licence fee as explained here. Fees for a Category 1 (B2C) Licence are based on Business to Business Net Gaming Yield (NGY). However, for the first year a new licensee receives an introductory fee of £17,500. Thereafter, £35,000 p.a. up to £500k NGY. A banded Effecting the gambling transaction fee structure applies up to NGY of £30m. There is a including operational management maximum fee of £400,000 (all activities included). of a gambling platform located in an A Category 2 (B2B) Licence has an introductory fee of approved hosting centre in Alderney or £17,500 in the first 12 months, thereafter fixed at £35,000 Guernsey. per annum regardless of the amount of business transacted over the platform or the number of activities installed on the platform. Any number and type of gambling activity The Category 2 Associate Certificate has an can be approved onto a single Category 2 introductory fee of £35,000 in the first year, thereafter Licence. Alderney has the widest definition £50,000 p.a. of gambling and gaming and can Finally, fees for the Core Services Associate Certificate are £10,000 p.a. approve any activity from the traditional In order to avoid any element of “double taxation” to the contemporary and innovative. following the UK introduction of POC regulation and taxation, the NGY from any UK facing activities is excluded from the calculation of the fee for the Category 2 Associate Certificate Category 1 licensee. Also to minimise any element Business to Business of “double regulation” the AGCC has streamlined its regulation of UK facing activities for those holding a UK (outside of Alderney) Gambling Commission licence. Effecting the gambling transaction including operational management of a gambling platform located outside of Alderney. This is the foreign based equivalent of a Category 2 Licence. 05 Jurisdictions comparison How Alderney compares with other jurisdictions Alderney Isle of Man Gibraltar Malta Corporate 0% 0% 10% Headline 35%, can be reduced to Tax 5% for non-resident shareholders VAT 0% 20% 0% 18% Fees & One licence covers all types One licence covers all types of Separate licence required for each Separate licence required for Gaming of activities activities type of activity, fees and minimum/ each type of activity, fees and Taxes/ maximum taxes apply to each mimimum/maximum taxes apply Duties licence to each licence Gaming 0% Gambling Duty of 1.5% of Gross Minimum Gaming Duty £85k. Class 1 Casino standalone flat £70k Duty Gaming Yield/ Retained Profit up Fixed Odds and Betting Exchanges pa (33% discount applies to first to £20m, 0.5% on the next £20m, 1% of Turnover. Casinos 1% of six months of operation), £12k pa if 0.1% on amount over £40m. 15% Gaming Yield or Gross Profit. hosted on Class 4. Class 2 Sports on pool betting. Relief on Yield/ Maximum Duty £425k 0.5% of Gross Bets. Class 3 Poker 5% Profit from UK market actvities. No of real income. Class 4 Hosting £46k maximum pa (effective 50% discount over first year) + £12k for every operator hosted who does not hold a Malta licence. Maximum Tax £388k Fees B2C utilising Category 1 Licence, £17.5k first year. Sub Licence £5k pa if exclusively £2k pa per licence £7k pa per licence third-party B2B Thereafter Band A £35k pa up to using IOM licensed B2B platform platforms £0.5m NGY inceasing to £400k otherwise £35k pa for a Full maximum at Band G for NGY Licence above £30m. NGY from UK market actvities excluded from NGY B2B offering Category 2 Licence, £17.5k first Full Licence £35k pa if not offering £2k pa per licence £7k pa per licence services to B2C year. Thereafter £35k pa plus £3k platform to any clients not holding operators per client not part of same group an IOM licence. Otherwise Network and not holding a Category 1 Licence £50k pa plus £5K pa per Licence. client not holding an IOM licence. Category 1 & 2 Licences, £35k first Full Licence £35k pa if not offering £2k pa per licence £7k pa per licence B2C with own year thereafter Cat 1 Banding and platform to any clients not holding B2B platform Cat 2 client fees apply resulting an IOM licence. Otherwise Network in minimum of £70k pa and Licence £50k pa plus £5k pa per maximum of £435k fee.