Asian bookmaker SBOBet’s subsidiary Celton Manx has become the first Isle of Man-licensed operator to be granted approval to launch a live dealer casino from the island.
SBOBet became the principal sponsor of Barclays Premier League football team West Ham United and launched its European sports book operation in December.
The casino is due to go live towards the end of the second quarter of 2009, using an existing product the company has experience of using in several Asian markets.
Celton Manx executive director Bill Mummery said: “What’s significant is that this is the first occasion the Isle of Man as a licensing regulator has gained comfort with a business model where the management all the systems are in the Isle of Man, but the live dealer studio will be elsewhere.” The company will use its own live dealer room, equipped with 30 tables and 90 cameras, situated in the Far East.
Mummery said the Isle of Man regulators got comfortable with the concept by visiting SBOBet’s live dealer operations in the Far East in November last year. “We spent three or four days going through our live dealer operation in considerable detail to demonstrate to them the controls, the due diligence, the security, and those issues. What has made this possible is that the regulators have been able to do their checks and due diligence on our live dealer facility prior to granting the approval.”
Mummery added that this licensing approval could further benefit the Isle of Man’s egaming sector. “I believe there’s a broader benefit for the Isle of Man from this in terms of attracting other operators, While it benefits my business, it also adds a significant plus factor to the offering the island has as a jurisdiction.”
