Isle of Man gambling regulator faces challenges as another operator surrenders licence
Celtron Max is the latest high-profile company to drop its licence from the Gambling Supervision Commission.
UK.- The gaming company Celton Manx has given up its Isle of Man gambling licence. The operator of the online sportsbook SBOBet and SBOTOP had been licensed by the Gambling Supervision Commission (GSC) since August 2008. It gave no reason for the decision.
The company, headquartered at Celton House within the Isle of Man Business Park in Braddan, is the latest high-profile gaming operator to exit the jurisdiction after PokerStars surrendered its Isle of Man B2B licence earlier this year.
In the case of PokerStars, now owned by Flutter, the reason given was a move to streamline its operating model. Its parent company, Rational Entertainment Enterprises, had held a licence on the island since 2005. It said its staff count would not be affected.
An Isle of Man gambling licence has held appeal for some operators due to the island’s zero corporate tax rate, zero capital gains tax and gambling duty based on profit ranging from 0.1 to 1.5 per cent. However, Celtron Max’s move takes the total number of exits in 2025 to 13.
According to local newspaper Isle of Man Today, this is causing financial challenges for the GSC, which faces a projected shortfall of £778,000 due to lower-than-expected licence fees and new business applications. The regulator had expected to have 109 licensees for the new 2025-26 financial year, down from a previous forecast of 148. However, the regulator’s register now lists just 80 active online gambling licensees, along with three bookmakers, five controlled machine suppliers and one casino operator.
Other factors include more unsuccessful licence applications than expected and the revocation of the licences of King Gaming following police raids in April 2024 amid allegations of fraud and money laundering. An upcoming evaluation of the Isle of Man by the Council of Europe’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing body MoneyVal could also influence the regulatory environment.
In January, Mark Rutherford was promoted to become the new CEO of the GSC. Previously deputy CEO, he has been with the gambling regulator since June 2013, initially serving as director of policy and legislation.
Taking up the position, he said he would be “working closely with partner agencies to understand the emerging threat that faces the Island’s gambling sector. It is imperative we continue to review and adapt our approach to stay aligned with evolving challenges.”
Back in October, the GSC announced that it was considering a review of its responsible gambling policies following the publication of a report on licensees’ measures. Responses from 33 of 35 registered Isle of Man gambling licensees were recorded in the Online Responsible Gambling Survey Report, which looked at aspects of responsible gambling controls on online gambling sites from January 1 to December 31, 2023.
The report found that Isle of Man gambling licensees who responded were content with the effectiveness of their measures in the area. While 73 per cent had received a complaint about responsible gambling in 2023, these were mostly about limits or exclusions or demands to provide documents for affordability checks.
