The Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission (GSC), which has been established way back in 1962, is one of the most reputable licensing bodies in the world of online gaming. Located on the Isle of Man and therefore closely related to the United Kingdom, it has a very good relationship with the UK Gambling Commission, which has already included it on its whitelist. This means that its license holders can advertise in the UK and therefore have access to one of the largest and most important markets in the world.
GSC jurisdiction
The Isle of Man has been one of the first jurisdictions in the world to start caring about the subtleties of the world of online betting and casinos, so it is no wonder that the Commission is currently the leading body in that respect. It is also quite expensive for gaming operators to get the desired license, since there is, for example, a £35,000 renewal fee that has to be paid on an annual basis. Moreover, any rogue operator that would want to deceive the Commission and try to run a shady business after obtaining its licence would come under heavy fire from the authorities and law enforcement bodies, making the entire idea rather unappealing.
GSC purpose
One of the main purposes of the Commission is to ensure that the customers of its license holders are going to be treated fairly and that their interests are always going to be protected by an impartial subject. When it comes to player protection, all licensees are required to protect all deposits and winnings in full (and, thanks to the legislative backing, they can be enforced by law), have their games independently tested and make sure that no under-age gaming takes place.
The list of operators that have the Commission’s license, which is freely available on the body’s main website, might seem to be quite short at first glance, but the reason behind that is that it certainly is not easy to become a licensed operator due to the strict regulations, duties, and requirements.
Players and license holders
Players that are not happy with the decisions of any of the license holders can send a complaint to the body, which will then investigate on their behalf and ensure that they are going to be treated fairly and according to the rules that are set by the body. Apart from that, players that feel that gambling has become a real problem for them can contact a specialized agency that can help them solve any issues and that works closely with the Commission to make sure that those players will be excluded from playing at any of the licensees.
In conclusion, the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission is one of the few licensing bodies that you can trust without any risks or hidden pitfalls. It has been around for so long and the problems have been so scarce that its reputation is virtually perfect, so there is no reason to believe that you could go wrong by picking any given operator from its license holders.
