Alderney seems to be dropping out of favour with gambling operators, with the number of licensees on the island dropping by 38% in 2019.

The tiny island, which is part of the British Crown Dependency of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, located just off the northern French coast, has long been a gambling hub, but things seem to be changing. 

According to the Alderney Gambling Control Comission’s 2019 report, the number of new license approvals also fell, from eight in 2018, to six in 2019. The Commission raked in GBP £3.9m in license fees in 2019, down 23% year-on-year, but expenses rose 4% to £2.6m. 

On a more positive note, the Commission only had to deal with 23 complaints against licensees in 2019, compared to 39 the year before. 33 inspections were also carried out – all of which demonstrated a “high level of regulatory compliance”, resulting in no sanctions, regulatory hearings or special investigations being carried out.

Looking into 2020, the Commission has warned that the COVID-19 crisis might reduce future license fee income. 

AYO.NEWS says:

It looks like Alderney may well have succeeded in creating a very compliant jurisdiction, but in the process may have scared off some operators. For example, both Genting Alderney Limited, and Greentube Alderney Limited allowed their licenses to lapse during 2019. 

Though the figures don’t sound very high compared to large jurisdictions, for an island that is just 7.8 sq km, and has a population of just over 2,000, the online gambling industry represents a significant part of the economy, so we’re sure the Alderney Gambling Control Commission will be looking at ways to make the island more attractive to operators. 

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