On the 21st April 2010, the States of Jersey voted for the Establishment of a regulatory and licensing regime for e-gaming for Jersey (P.28/2010). Two things were remarkable about this vote. Firstly, Jersey has arrived so late at the party that most guests are suffering from a hangover. Secondly, in spite of all the controversy over the years, the legislation was finally voted through with a resounding (40-9) victory for commonsense. As a betting man, I wouldn’t have given that outcome 10-1. Why is the legislation important? Most of all, it gives Jersey the opportunity to offer internet services on an equal footing with Guernsey and Alderney. Over the last decade, Guernsey and Alderney have assiduously built an undeniably valuable industry.
The unsurprising spin-off has been massive investment in infrastructure, and correspondingly lower bandwidth costs for all businesses and individuals in Guernsey and Alderney. In 2005 Jersey and Guernsey had Internet links to the UK and Europe of similar capacity but today Guernsey’s is five times bigger. Guernsey’s may well double again in the coming twelve months.
If you think of the internet in terms of road infrastructure; Jersey currently has a 15 mile an hour green lane to London, whilst Guernsey is enjoying a 3 lane auto route, fully funded by private industry. If we’re serious about economic diversification we must, at the very least, have internet connectivity that matches our closest competitors in performance and cost.
Issues of reputation have been dealt with competently in Guernsey, with household names such as Ladbrokes, Sky and Saga holding licenses in Guernsey. A well-regulated online gaming structure enhances reputation, and importantly, provides controls to protect vulnerable consumers.
Chris Evans, MD of the Foreshore data centre, a long-term investor in the Island’s Internet infrastructure has spearheaded the campaign to get e-gaming approved in Jersey. His perseverance and persuasive arguments have been a significant factor in getting this legislation through. Although the passage through the States has been grindingly slow, Chris has demonstrated that (most) States politicians are open to intelligent discussion.
So finally, Jersey has put it’s bet on the table, whether it’s too little and too late remains to be seen, but surely the lesson we’ve got to learn is that endless political prevarication (think postal competition) risks opportunities that we can ill afford to lose.