The AGCC was established back in the year 2000 and is an independent commission that regulates as well as licenses eGaming companies as long as they and their servers are situated within the borders of Alderney. It issued its first three licenses in 2002 and now has more than 60 current entities under its licensing and jurisdiction.
Situated just off the coast of Normandy, Alderney operates within the laws of the UK and of the UK Gambling Act. It focuses heavily on online gambling and online casinos and does not regulate any kind of land-based gambling operations.
Lord Faulkner is the Chairman of the Commission at the AGCC, and he sits above Commissioners Isabel Picornell, Jeremy Thompson, and Christopher Moger. Offering more of a hands-on approach compared to other regulatory authorities, this can mean a long and drawn out application process for those seeking a license. However, this is why Alderney has a solid reputations for highly scrutinized and enforced regulations that benefit online gambling entities and online casino players.
Here are some of the benefits that can be enjoyed by players playing at an AGCC licensed online casino:
Player Protection:The protection of players’ data such as their personal and financial information is a strong focus of the AGCC. They insist that any company operating under their licensing stores such data securely and responsibly.
Fair Gaming:The AGCC requires all online casinos to show and list the RTP (return-to-player) percentages of all games in the description. They also run annual testing to ensure that these numbers are correct in order to guarantee fair gaming.
Separated Player Funds: As part of the regulations put in place by the AGCC, all player funds must be kept separate from the casino’s operating funds. This ensures that in the event of the casino or gambling entity ever suffering financially, player funds are always protected.
Types of Licenses
There are currently two different licenses available to online gambling operators that wish to obtain a full Alderney eGambling license. Depending on the circumstances, an operator will either need one or both of these licenses to operate legally in Alderney.
Cat 1 eGambling License (Business-to-Customer)
Gives an entity the authorization to register, verify, enter into contracts, and manage the funds of players. This license was created for operators that wanted to outsource their gaming and gambling activities.
Cat 2 eGambling License Business-to-Business)
This license authorizes an online gambling entity to provide its gaming options and its platform to players under its jurisdiction as long as it is hosted within an approved hosting center in Alderney.
Areas of Focus
Honesty, integrity, and fairness are the buzz words when it comes to the Alderney Gambling Control Commission. They expect all entities under their jurisdiction and licensing to share each of those qualities and have strict regulations in place to ensure that this is the case.
The AGCC aims to improve the reputation of online gambling as a whole and the online entities that it regulates. They want the players to be safe, the games to be fair, and for gaming operators to provide protection from any criminal activity both inside and outside of their operations.
A strong emphasis is also put on testing, responsible gambling, and protecting minors from the pitfalls of gambling addiction.
Software Testing and Licensing
As part of any license application, the Alderney Gambling Control Commission will enlist the help of independent testing laboratories from all other the world to test the games and software of any applicant.
They will also carry out annual testing on all current license holders to ensure that the games and software that they are providing are fair and accurate to the RTP percentages that are shown for all games as a requirement for licensing.
How to Achieve Licensing
Applying for and gaining licensing from the AGCC is not easy or quick and certainly not cheap. New or small businesses with tight budgets will find it particularly tough due to the AGCC preferring to grant their licenses to entities that can show a good and long track record of being financially stable.
All applications will undergo extensive processes that include compliance, testing,and investigation. This can mean that an application can take as long as four months in some cases.
For any entity that wishes to apply for one of the two licenses, will have to first form an Alderney registered company. Then an application form needs to be filled out online, a deposit paid that covers the expenses of all application processes, key individual applications-filled and any required supporting documents provided. The AGCC will then go about their decision-making processes before informing an applicant of their decision.
As for fees, an application deposit alone can cost up to £35,000 while annual fees can be as high as £400,000 depending on the size and success of the online gambling operator.
Conclusion
One thing that can certainly be said about the Alderney Gambling Control Commission, is the fact that their licenses are some of the more difficult to obtain. They do not hand them out to just anyone that applies, and this can only be seen as a good thing from a player’s perspective. For that reason, we have complete confidence that any online casino licensed by the AGCC can be considered safe and trustworthy.
