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Sportingbet: New location was no gamble
By Richard Hemans
The Financial Times
September 18 2008 08:30
When Sportingbet, the online gaming company quoted on London’s junior market, Aim, was looking to transfer its European business from London, it assessed each potential location on four key criteria. Guernsey beat competition from the likes of Jersey, Malta and Gibraltar to come first or second in every category, and Sportingbet Europe relocated in September last year.
Guerney在哪里？看这个链接。边上的小岛就是Jersey。
It was the delay in the enactment of the UK Gambling Act 2005 that prompted Sportingbet to undertake a review of its European business. “The development of the Act was creating a lot of uncertainty and it actually proved to be more unfriendly than we thought, particularly for internet operators,” says Bob Dutnall, managing director of Sportingbet Europe.
Sportingbet already had close links with the Bailiwick of Guernsey. It was founded in Alderney in 1998, before quickly outgrowing its birthplace and moving to London in 2001. “There were many reasons to come to Guernsey, but our links with Alderney have always been important,” says Mr Dutnall.
“Our four key criteria were regulation, licensing and gambling tax, human resources and IT communications,” says Mr Dutnall. “The Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC) is recognised as one of the best regulators in the world and thanks to an innovative agreement struck with Guernsey in 2005, we are able to base our servers in Guernsey whilst being regulated by the AGCC. The AGCC’s status gives customers confidence, which is vital in our industry.
Alderney是再边上的一个小岛，看这个链接。
“The Bailiwick also has a competitive licensing and gambling tax regime, which enables it to compete with other European jurisdictions. It is outside the European Union but has close relations with it, has a well-educated workforce and benefits from a first-class IT and communications infrastructure. The island scored very highly on all counts,” says Mr Dutnall.
Sportingbet specialises in sports betting, casino and poker, and its servers in Guernsey receive all wagers placed in Europe, from Finland to Greece. Besides marketing, finance, treasury and administration, sports trading is based in the island, which involves setting odds, monitoring financial exposure and keeping track of the competition.
“We have created 70 jobs since we arrived, and we offer an exciting, high-growth alternative to the financial services sector, for both employees and the Guernsey economy,” says Mr Dutnall. “In sports trading we are creating a skills base that did not exist before. Moreover, the licence fees we pay to the AGCC help to reduce the subsidy Guernsey has historically paid to Alderney.”
Sportingbet provoked much local media interest when it announced it was coming to Guernsey, but now sees itself as part of the community. “We have developed a good relationship with the States of Guernsey and are very active in supporting the local community, particularly by helping local sports men and women,” says Mr Dutnall.
Sportingbet’s experience in Guernsey has been positive and the company looks to the future with optimism. “Like every employer we would like to see some relaxation of the housing laws and better transport links, particularly with the City of London, but we have a great base in Guernsey that helps us to continue growing at over 20 per cent a year,” says Mr Dutnall.
“Our business is fairly scalable, but we intend to create more jobs here as we focus on additional European growth, and as more gaming migrates online.” |
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发表于 2008-9-20 20:12
