The Isle of Man is one of the most dynamic and reputable jurisdictions in the e gaming industry and is listed on the UK's e gaming 'white-list'. Doing e gaming business in any jurisdiction also requires an excellent source of advisers and service providers so it is reassuring to potential gaming companies that the Island is a Tier 1 jurisdiction with many excellent legal, accountancy and fiduciary firms available. The Island's ICT infrastructure is world-class with leading-edge fixed and mobile telecoms networks, numerous disaster recovery and hosting facilities and highly-resilient bandwidth connectivity.

The Isle of Man Government is committed to the on going development of the e gaming sector and its "can-do" attitude has encouraged a growing network of e gaming businesses and software development companies to operate from the Isle of Man. This has resulted in e gaming now being responsible for the employment of nearly 400 people in the Isle of Man.

Why the Isle of Man?

• Reputable & respected with UK while listing and AAA country rating from Standard & Poor's and Moody's

• Zero rate of corporate tax on taxable Income

• Low betting and gaming duty

• World class telecommunications infrastructure including:

• Totally self-sufficient power station infrastructure supported by sub-sea gas and electricity supplies

• Tier 1 regulated island jurisdiction

• History of stability and security with the world's longest continuous parliament

• Ideal jurisdiction for AIM or FTSE stock market listing

The Isle of Man is a self-governing Crown dependency, located in the Irish Sea at the geographical centre of the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Crown is represented by a Lieutenant Governor. The island is not part of the United Kingdom, but foreign relations, defence, and ultimate good-governance of the Isle of Man are the responsibility of the government of the United Kingdom. The Isle of Man is not a part of the European Union, but the free movement of goods does exist between the two entities. Value Added Tax (VAT) is charged at 15%, the same figure as that in the UK.

In order to qualify as a Manx Resident applicants are required to initially live continuously on the Island for five years. In the vast majority of cases, non-residents (including UK citizens) will need a work permit to gain employment on the Island. As each work permit is specific to one individual employment, a fresh application is required for any change of employment. In general, unless it can be demonstrated the skills required for the locally advertised job are not available on the Island, companies should not employ a non-Manx Worker if a Manx Resident who is capable of doing the job has applied.

The Isle of Man is a 'so-called' low tax economy with no capital gains tax, wealth tax, stamp duty or inheritance tax and a top rate of income tax of 18%. The maximum amount of tax payable by an individual is £100,000 or £200,000 for couples if they choose to have their incomes jointly assessed. The £100,000 tax cap equates to an assessable income of approximately £570,000. Personal income is assessed and taxed on a total 'worldwide' income basis rather than a remittance basis. This means that all income earned throughout the world is assessable for Manx tax rather than only income earned in or brought into the IoM. It Residency rules, 60 days per annum, are lower than those in surrounding states. The Isle of Man has no death or estate duties, capital transfer or gifts taxes, capital gains tax or wealth tax. In real terms, the cost of living on the island is very similar to that within the UK. However, lower taxation levels mean that in relative terms the inhabitants enjoy a greater level of disposable income relative to their gross earnings.

Isle of Man - Useful links:

For further information please visit the following useful links on eGaming in the Isle of Man:

• Isle of Man Government - eGaming Focus

• Isle of Man Government - Gambling