A Global Regulatory Analysis, Superior Tier-1 Benefits and Crafting a Compliance Culture – our eGaming Webinar Recap!

Three weeks ago, we hosted our first webinar on the eGaming sector, eGaming in 2025: A Regulatory & Strategic Outlook. Thank you to everyone who attended, we hope you enjoyed the session and took away some valuable insights!

Here’s an overview of the session in case you missed it.

Led by our Group CCO, Gary Harrison, as the host, the webinar covered key topics shaping the global eGaming landscape in 2025, including regulatory developments, compliance, and the key strategic considerations for an eGaming company to stay competitive and compliant the growing industry.

Delivered by our speakers, Tony Ure, Head of eGaming Strategy, Isle of Man Associate Director, Kristy Maxwell and Business Development Manager, Koko Dlamini, our team members each brought a wealth of expertise to the table, contributing specific knowledge from their many years of experience in the industry.

A global regulatory update with Tony Ure

Tony shared with us some key insights on the global eGaming landscape, including the emerging jurisdictions to watch and how they are impacting the industry.

Gary: “So Tony, we are seeing many new jurisdictions implement licensing frameworks to be a part of the global eGaming industry. What is driving this?“

Tony: “Well, there are several factors, but I think a key development was from Curacao on the back of the pandemic. The stricter regulatory regime enforced by Holland that Curacao agreed to bring in required more substance from the licence holders, including who the licence holders are to ensure they are AML compliant. This has taken a long time to come into effect and it was estimated there was around 4,000 licence holders when the regulations came in last year and there were about 740 applications, so a lot.

The regulatory development encouraged a shift in a regulatory uphaul in other jurisdictions to become more compliant. On the back of this we had changes in the Philippines whereby the President declared that he was cancelling all the POGO licences, which ended up happening at the end of last year in December.

Since we’ve had new jurisdictions come up with what was what you could call ‘a land grab’, which is let’s see what licenses we can get and what Southeast Asian licenses we can pick. Purely because of a lighter touch monitoring and a lighter touch regulatory aspect.

If you look at Anjouan, which is one of the key emerging jurisdictions, they’ve already licensed 700 companies so far in the in the last year since bringing their regulation. Tobique is also another one to watch, which is a Canadian tribal province like Kahnawake and Kahnawake has been going for 20 odd years. Tobique are actively issuing licenses and have already issued over 60 licences and have another hundred applications in the process. And then you’ve got Vanuatu, which when Philippines pulled out there was a lot of interest in what would happen in Vanuatu as a closer jurisdiction and a jurisdiction that could sort service the Southeast Asian section.

We’ve also seen Kahnawake come back on the scene where they were dormant for the last 10 years. They seem to be pushing back into the into the markets, along with Costa Rica and some other jurisdictions that are coming up.“

Gary: “How do we see the future of global gaming licensing?“

Tony: “Well, the changes mentioned above are impacting the market and we can see the global market shrinking a bit as countries try and regulate. This will probably put more focus on B2B licences depending on its jurisdiction and we’ll probably see more focus on payment providers and KYC and compliance systems.

We’ve seen local regulation coming in and some of it is done well and helps the operations and protect the players and the regulator to improve and grow businesses. So a lot of it is how well the companies or the governments can improve, introduce their regulations and do it in a way that’s appropriate and beneficial for the businesses and the players.“

Licensing and the Isle of Man with Koko Dlamini

Koko provided us with an overview of the Isle of Man, including the benefits the licence provides. She also covered some key differences between Tier 1 and Tier 2 licences.

Gary: “Some say for a startup the Tier 2 jurisdictions appear more fitting because it’s less strict. What are your thoughts on that?“

Koko: “I can understand why some people may think this especially because money is a factor when you’re a startup. This is often why Curacao or Anjouan can appear to be attractive options, and they seem to be less stringent as Tier-1 jurisdictions. It may be a great short-term solution but in terms of the long-term picture, if you’re looking for stable jurisdiction to run your business, Tier-1 jurisdictions carry a more credible reputation.

An important consideration is not just the licensing process but after this is completed, when the business is operating and needs solutions from third parties, such as PSPs and banking. These partnerships are essential if you want to build a credible, sustainable and long-term business. Tier-1 jurisdictions are tried and tested jurisdiction’s which attract a whole host of established ancillary services, a key benefit which the licence provides access to. Some Tier-1 licences are more expensive and require a larger initial investment, this is because there are more controls in place in the jurisdiction which essentially protects the jurisdictions credibility as a place to do business, the reputation of the businesses that operate there and the end players. From my perspective from being in the industry for many years and working closely with operators to obtain eGaming licences in the Isle of Man, it’s worth it.

It’s important to note that some jurisdictions and licence types might not fit every business model. It’s very important to do your research to understand the jurisdiction’s regulatory environment and what access the licence provides prior to choosing a licence. There is support that is always readily available to help you with this in the jurisdiction. Our team hold global eGaming knowledge and would be happy to provide guidance.”

Gary: “Do you think the Isle of Man is still attracting a high level of demand?“

Koko: “Without sounding biased, absolutely! In fact, what I found over the last year or so, there’s been more and more inquiries coming from businesses that were previously in jurisdictions such as Curacao and have chosen to opt for a Tier-1 licence like the Isle of Man instead. And with the regulatory uncertainty, the Isle of Man has remained strong and provides operators with range of banking providers which have the appetite for eGaming. There are many financial benefits too and the compliance requirements are robust, which is why we have the reputation that we enjoy today.“

Compliance and Strategic Considerations with Kristy Maxwell

Kristy provided us with some essential considerations for an eGaming company seeking to expand and obtain a new licence and the importance of crafting a good compliance culture.

Gary: “What do you think is the most important thing or things for a company considering an eGaming gaming license application in any jurisdiction?“

Kristy: “I would say from my experience working at the Regulator and working for a CSP is to do your research throughouly on that jurisdiction. Make sure you know the difference between a Tier 1 and Tier 2 licence as those jurisdictions bring different benefits to you and determine what your business can access. Obviously, you can access them all through Tier 1 rather than Tier 2 but both of course have got certain benefits.

I would say also to make sure that you engage with somebody that knows what they’re doing. I don’t know how else to put that, but bluntly, the process is very long and complicated. Probably the easiest part is obtaining the license, it’s then going live and remaining compliant which is the most difficult part. Therefore, make sure that you’ve got a good agent that’s well known in the sector with a successful track record.

Another key consideration is from being a compliance professional myself, make sure that, even if you’re just starting out or are an established operator, you have a good compliance culture in place. If you haven’t got that compliance culture, you’re not going to survive. And that needs to come from the top down. You can employ the best compliance professionals, but if you haven’t got that culture in place, then I’m afraid you are going to run into difficulties.“

Gary Harrison: “So, Kristy, in your opinion have compliance requirements changed at all in the past five years in terms of the Isle of Man?“

Kristy: “The requirements haven’t changed because the regulations and the law remain the same as they were five years ago. However, there is more of a heightened focus on compliance, which there should be and internal government governance. They’re changing the way that they supervise, which I think is great. Our regulator is visible and approachable, they don’t act as people to give guidance but they’re accessible. They’ve got a great suite of regulations, and everything is regulated in its own right.“

Session Round up with Gary

“Thank you to our speakers for your great input, we really covered a broad range of topics there which hopefully our audience found beneficial when navigating in this fast-paced industry. To recap, as the regulatory landscape continues to unfold, more operators are expanding into new jurisdictions to target new markets. When entering a new jurisdiction, doing your research and obtaining some guidance from partners is essential to ensure you know the environment before taking that licensing step. Partners can help you to ascertain whether that licence or jurisdiction suits your relevant business model and future goals in your roadmap.

We intend to host more webinars on the eGaming sector therefore please feel free to suggest any content you would like us to cover next time!”

Contact Us

Feel free to contact our team if you are seeking any guidance on eGaming licensing, compliance or scaling your eGaming business. Speak with Kristy if you have questions about compliance, Tony to discuss a jurisdiction of interest or Gary and Koko if you’re looking to obtain a new licence.

Learn more about our services here; https://affinityco.com/nav/