Leading Survey shows Isle of Man e-Gaming Sector in Good Health

Increasing numbers of e-Gaming jobs are coming to the Isle of Man, with the jurisdiction’s attraction as a reputable place to take up a license showing no sign of slowing down, according to an influential survey.

Business prospects in the sector remain positive, with more and more companies looking to secure an Isle of Man licence or to open up a non-licensable operation. These are the strong messages conveyed in the latest findings of the Manx e-Gaming Association (MeGA).

Employment in the Island’s e-Gaming industry has more than tripled from just 230 in 2006 to 775 in 2012. Furthermore, this year’s figure is predicted to increase to at least 850, boosted by strategic decisions taken by a number of companies committed to the Isle of Man, the survey suggests.

And local expenditure, solely attributable to the sector throughout 2012, amounted to £175 million, a figure set to rise to almost £200 million in 2013, the findings reveal.

“The future for e-Gaming on the Isle of Man continues to look encouraging, with a good pipeline of new enquiries from companies in both licensable and non-licensable activities,” said MeGA’s John Webster.

Their research included companies who have been involved with MeGA since 2006, as well as new entrants to the Island’s e-Gaming sector and other organisations providing professional services to the industry.

As one of the Island’s leading corporate service providers to the e-Gaming sector, Cavendish Trust has described the latest MeGA report as “very encouraging.”

The company acts on all pre-establishment and setting up activities for e-Gaming companies, including assistance with business plans, licensing and VAT registration as well as making introductions to relevant technology partners, Government departments and the gaming commission.

“We welcome the very encouraging findings from MeGA, which are very much in line with our own forecasts for the way the e-Gaming industry is evolving here,“ said the lead Cavendish Trust Director. “The positive tenure of the survey was reflected in our recent presence at the ICE exhibition in London where we found a great deal of interest from both established and start-up e-Gaming businesses in being licensed in the Isle of Man. The Island clearly provides both a highly credible and extremely attractive business proposition for the e-Gaming sector.”

“At the same time, it is heartening to see that the survey has also picked up on the fact that many of our established e-Gaming operators are clearly making their strategic plans based around being on the Isle of Man for a long time to come.

“We also recognise that the Isle of Man Government and the Gambling Supervision Commission here have worked extremely hard to position the Island as a safe, well regulated jurisdiction for the e-Gaming industry and we look forward to continuing our close working ties with the sector in the years ahead.”