Jersey Gambling Commission Review

Name: Jersey Gambling Commission - Jurisdiction Review
Item: Jersey Gambling Commission - Jurisdiction
Rating: 7
Author: Casinomeister

By Alex Smith

Casinomeister's Verdict

Carries out regular audits of license holders

7 Our Rating

Oversight

Responsiveness

Transparency

Infrastructure

History

Reliability

Jurisdiction Jersey Gambling Commission

Founded 2010

Website https://www.jgc.je

E-mail info@jgc.je

Address Jersey Gambling Commission, 4th Floor, Osprey House, 5-7 Old Street, St Helier, Jersey, JE2 3RG

Reliability Highest

Pros

Hold licensees to high standards
Carries out regular audits of license holders
Total transparency on their website

Cons

Doesn’t provide any clear guidance on how player complaints are handled
Relatively new to the scene

The Jersey Gambling Commission is responsible for regulating gambling activities that are based in Jersey – and the commission is one of the most reputable regulators in the world, favored by both operators and players.

In this post, we’re going to take a look at how the Jersey Gambling Commission operates, a brief overview and history of the commission, and some details about the license requirements put in place by the commission.

We’ll finish off by listing the contact details – so that you can get in touch – and some pros and cons, so without further ado, let’s get started!

About The Jersey Gambling Commission

The Jersey Gambling Commission was founded by the Gambling Commission (Jersey) Law in 2010, and this law officially came into force on the 3rd of September, 2010. Before this law was passed, gambling regulation was undertaken by the minister, the former Licensing Assembly or other State bodies – and after the law was passed, regulation became the sole responsibility of the Jersey Gambling Commission.

If you’re unfamiliar with Jersey, it’s one of the Channel Islands (the largest, in fact), and it’s located in the Bay of St Malo, situated on the north-west of France. Like other channel islands (including Alderney and Guernsey), Jersey is a popular destination for online gambling operators due to lax taxation laws – but that doesn’t mean the commission doesn’t take their responsibilities seriously, and they’re actually one of the most respected gambling regulators.

The Jersey Gambling Commission is in charge of regulating all forms of gambling activities based from Jersey with the sole exception of the Channel Island Lottery, which continues to be the responsibility of the State’s Department for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture.

Provisions Of a License

Like most gambling regulators, the Jersey Gambling Commission offers a number of different licenses – and in the section below, we’ll look at the remote gambling license provisions.

First of all, there are five main types of license issued to remote gambling operators: Operators, Hosting Providers, Platform Providers, Software Designers, and Testing Houses.

An online gambling business may require one or more licenses depending on their business activity – and the commission also requires that any casino style games MUST be registered with the Jersey Financial Services Commission (JFSC). This is actually a legal requirement which is covered by the Proceeds of Crime (Supervisory Bodies) (Jersey) Law of 2008.

The commission requires online gambling operators to have a number of processes in place to minimize the risk of underage gambling, and this includes verification checks (both when players create an account, and when they withdraw), and there’s also some anti money-laundering rules too, which is designed to ensure that criminals are unable to use online casinos to launder money.

Responsible gambling is another big requirement for operators who want a license from the Jersey Gambling Commission, and – like most of the world’s more-reputable license issuers – they require operators to have a number of measures available to players, including the ability to set deposit limits, and the ability to request time-out periods and self-exclusion.

Disputes and Complaints

Like most gambling regulators, the Jersey Gambling Commission requires players to first submit a complaint directly to the operator in question. It’s always best to do this in writing – preferably through email, so you have a record of it. If you and the casino are unable to reach an amicable agreement, you will then be able to submit your complaint to the casino’s independent resolution service.

They will then look at your complaint, and make a ruling, which is binding from the casino’s end.

If, after you’ve completed both of those steps you’re still unhappy with the casino’s response, you can contact the Jersey Gambling Commission directly, although it should be pointed out that they don’t provide any clear guidance on how they deal with complaints, so you may hear back from them, you may not.

Essentially, the casino’s independent dispute resolution service is your best bet – so always be sure to write-out your complaints with as much (true and accurate) information as possible.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

Hold licensees to high standards
Regular audits of license holders are carried out, ensuring that operators are adhering to the terms of their licenses
The commission is transparent, often publishing their current goals and directives on their website

Cons:

Doesn’t provide any clear guidance on how player complaints are handled
The commission is still relatively new; while that doesn’t mean they’re not doing a good job, it’s worth noting they do have a little less experience than some of the world’s other regulators.