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The Isle of Man government has announced a raft of regulatory enhancements and legal amendments to counter criminal impacts out of Asia, including “additional scrutiny” for e-gaming licence applications.
After a slew of bad press over e-gaming licence cancellations, the detention of licensee workers and scathing criticism from the United Nations and gambling industry heavyweights, the Isle of Man has promised to strengthen online gambling regulation as part of a wider review of anti-money laundering, counter-terrorism financing and counter-proliferation financing (AML/CFT/CPF) strategy.
In a strongly worded statement on Friday (March 7), the Cabinet Office called for inter-agency and industry cooperation in boosting financial and other compliance defences ahead of the Council of Europe’s MONEYVAL evaluation of financial standards in 2026.
“Given the threat picture, it is imperative that the Isle of Man authorities and industry across all sectors remain vigilant and mitigate vulnerabilities that can be exploited by organised crime groups,” it said.
“Further amendments to legislation and the national AML/CFT/CPF regime as well as the immigration regime are in development to combat organised crime of this nature.
“More broadly, work is underway to produce an updated National Risk Assessment [NRA].
“In order to mitigate the risks identified as part of the NRA, a National Action Plan will be developed, published and actions advanced which aim to continually strengthen the Island’s approach to financial crime,” the statement said.
As part of this process, the Gambling Supervision Commission (GSC) has commenced a review into its “framework and practices in market licensing, supervision and enforcement” to support an “enhanced programme of monitoring underway”, it said.
In addition, new e-gaming licence applications “will be subject to additional scrutiny whilst the framework and practices are under review, and more information concerning the national risk appetite for new gaming licences with links to South [sic] and Southeast Asia will be published soon”.
The GSC will also soon publish new information on the current “types of risks and typologies” it adopts to encourage greater industry vigilance, the statement said.
The Isle of Man’s apparent push to improve its reputation is consistent with substantial efforts by similar small European online gambling regulators to gentrify their variable reputations after years of controversy and feuding with other European jurisdictions.
Isle of Man Deputy Chief Minister Jane Poole-Wilson, who heads the government’s AML/CTF strategy, said: “Significant and wide-reaching actions are being taken by agencies, with investment in law enforcement and investigation capability. This includes strengthening the Island’s immigration systems and processes.
“These actions aim to ensure that any vulnerabilities are identified, and that urgent action is taken to mitigate vulnerabilities, thereby strengthening the Island’s countering financial crime regime for the future.
“We will not tolerate the use of the Island for criminal activity and will not hesitate to act to disrupt and prosecute those responsible,” she said.
The Cabinet Office statement appears to mark a serious turn in the government’s approach to online gambling and other financial risk, noting at the outset that the Isle of Man is a ready target for global organised crime, especially Asian crime.
Police are continuing investigations into the cancellation of e-gaming licences for King Gaming and Dalmine, two affiliated companies linked by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to cyber-scamming operations in the Philippines and mainland Southeast Asia.
Details of the case remain tightly guarded, with the UN report providing more detail on the background of the case, including the licensees’ beneficial owners and detained Chinese staff, than the police or Isle of Man media.
