The Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission (GSC) is enhancing its methods of combating illicit gambling activities by focusing on improved cooperation with global regulatory authorities and the establishment of a specialized division responsible for intelligence and enforcement.
In a statement made on July 20, the GSC revealed that it has cooperated with the authorities of Türkiye where it updated operators with licenses in the Isle of Man of recently established restrictions in the country. The goal of this cooperation is to assist the Turkish regulators in enforcing local rules concerning market access and preventing licensed firms from working in those jurisdictions where they have no permission to do so.
The regulator is also ready to help foreign authorities pursuing investigations into illegal gambling websites. The support may include identification of illegal websites making fraudulent claims regarding their licensing in the Isle of Man or seeking to create the perception of connection to the jurisdiction through some technical means such as IP routing.
The newly set Intelligence and Enforcement Division will bring extra means and expertise which will allow monitoring activities in the areas beyond control where gambling takes place outside of the regulated environment.
The GSC currently maintains a list of 40 approved website domains operated by licensed companies. It also publishes registers of current and former licence holders, allowing users and businesses to verify an operator’s regulatory status.
In addition, the regulator maintains a separate register of websites suspected of falsely claiming to hold an Isle of Man licence or impersonating legitimate licensed operators.