The Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission: Uncovered

The Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission is one of the oldest gambling regulatory bodies in the world that still remains relevant today, having been created in 1962. The Gambling Supervision Commission is responsible for licensing and regulated all land-based and online gambling operations that are based on the island – regardless of where their player base is.

Companies can show that they are trustworthy and secure service providers when they have a licence from the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission. Not just for players on the island, this licence is strong trust signal for players around the world.

What is the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission?

The Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission is the main regulator on the island, on which many leading gambling operators are based, including the likes of enormous companies such as PokerStars and Playtech. Its primary aims are to keep the gambling industry free of criminal activities, protect young and vulnerable players and ensure that gambling establishments offer fair services and remain true to paying out winning players.

How the Organisation Works

An online gambling site looking to obtain a licence from the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission need to have a substantial office base on the island, as well as meet the licensing requirements, which insist that operators have clear ownership model, are sufficiently competent to run the services they offer, have no links to criminality, have enough finances to run the business and pay out winning players, and also operate with integrity.

Licences from the IOM Gambling Supervision Commission are highly regarded across the industry, and is the symbol of a serious, transparent gaming body. What’s more, it is this rigorous level of background and suitability checking from the likes of the Gambling Supervision Commission which provides online casino players with a great deal of security.

The Advantages of Playing at a GSC Regulated Casino

There are a range of factors that can benefit players who choose to do their online gambling at IOM Gambling Supervision Commission approved establishments. These range from the protection of players and their data, the right to a fair and transparent gaming experience, a guarantee that they won’t lose their funds if a casino enters financial difficulties, and, importantly, ensuring that the operator is accountable for their actions.

Player Protection

One area in which the Isle of Man GSC plays a vital role is in protecting players, their money and their data. Online casinos must show they have sufficient safeguards against cyber attacks – ensuring that player funds and data is kept safe, while also showing that they are responsible enough to use player data in a legal manner. Gambling companies that can’t display proficiency in managing customer data or guard against cyber attacks won’t eligible to receive a Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission gambling licence.

Fair Gaming

While players obviously don’t want their data or funds stolen, one of their critical reasons for playing at an online casino is that they believe they have a fair chance of winning – they wouldn’t play otherwise. With this in mind, the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission must ensure that any gambling companies can guarantee a fair and transparent range of games, and that the results can’t be controlled by the casino or provider – thereby giving the player a real chance of winning.

A legal requirement for virtual casino games – including online blackjack, roulette, and slots games – is that they use random number generators (RNGs) to produce the result of the game. By using RNGs, casinos have no control over the game’s results, and therefore cannot be biased against certain players – regardless of whether they are on a winning streak or not. It is important that people know where they can play roulette online fairly.

Online games must also show the expected return to player (RTP) rate in the game’s description, which provides players with a clear indication of how much the casino takes from each game, as well as how much of the funds return in the form of winnings to players. So, an online slot with a 97% RTP rate would mean that 97% of all money that is spent on the game subsequently returns to players through winnings, while the remaining 3% represents the casino’s take, and how they make money. This is very similar to the house edge used in land-based casinos. This level of transparency is key to securing the trust of online players.

Player Funds Separated

From time-to-time, just as is possible in any business, a company can go into administration and cease to trade. However, this is no fault of the players. So, to ensure that players don’t risk losing their funds in the event of business closure, online gambling companies must – by law – separate players funds from operation funds, meaning that even if an online casino were to go bust, players wouldn’t lose their money. The Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission closely monitors the financial accounts of online casinos to ensure that player funds and operational funds are never mixed.

Operator Accountability

Without regulatory bodies such as the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission and the UK Gambling Commission, it would be very hard to keep online gambling operators accountable for their actions – especially when it possible for them to run their company from any country in the world.For this reason, the likes of the Isle of Man GSC of hugely important in ensuring that players can gamble online safely and securely, and be in with a fair chance of winning. Indeed, by obtaining a gambling licence from the IOM Gambling Supervision Commission, or any other reputable gambling authority, players are well protected should any problems arise with an online operator.

How to Find out if a Casino is Regulated by the Isle of Man

Regardless of whether an online casino claims to have a licence or not, you should always check that this is the case and that they are legitimate.

There are two ways in which you can check if an online operator really is licensed by the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission, the first and easiest of which is to check the company’s casino review at Scams.info – where we have heavily researched every online casino we come across to ensure that it isn’t a scam. But if you prefer to do things yourself, you can also check gambling licences on the Isle of Man Government website here.

Issues You Can Raise

Of course, sometimes issues can arise when playing at an online casino, especially if the player and operator in question have a difference of opinion. In instances such as this, the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission can step in to mediate any complaints and provide an unbiased decision based on their findings.

Common problems that can arise for players when playing at an online casino can be caused by bets being voided by the casino, IT issues, customer service issues, payment problems, bonus disputes, winning disputes, prize disputes and closure of accounts.

How to Complain

If you do encounter a problem when playing an online casino, you should always first try and resolve the issue directly with the operator itself by contacting their customer support team. In the majority of cases, any problems can be resolved by the casino based on the company’s terms and conditions. However, if your issue is not resolved after contacting the operator, you can lodge a formal complaint with the Isle of Man GSC. The commission will then contact both the player and casino and evaluate the case in an impartial manner. However, complaints that go through the commission can take months or longer to resolve, so always try and find a solution to the problem by contacting the casino directly first.

If you wish to lodge a formal complaint about an online operator that is licenced by the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission, you can fill out an online complaint form on the government website.

The History of the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission

The Isle of Man GSC was created way back in 1962 to regulate all gambling activity on the island, but with the advent of online gambling, it became one of the first jurisdictions to regulate online activities, with the principles and regulations that it is based on forming the Online Gambling Regulation Act 2001.

With the introduction of the Online Gambling Regulation Act, the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission began to issue gambling licences to online operators that met their requirements. Some of the biggest names in online gambling are licensed by the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission.

Conclusion

The purpose of the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission is to regulate the online gambling market, ensuring that the industry remains free of criminal behaviour and connections, as well as protecting the interests of players, and preventing young and vulnerable players from being exploited.

At Scams.info we are reviewing all the best gambling sites, including Isle of Man online casinos. Here you can also read up on other major regulatory bodies in the world of online gambling such as the UKGC and the Malta Gaming Authority.