Jersey eGaming, a consortium of businesses and government agencies, exhibited for the first time at the global eGaming conference, ICE Totally Gaming, held at Excel London earlier this month. There was firm interest registered by industry and the event was hailed a great success. Several licences have now moved to the advanced stages of discussion as a result.
The conference saw Jersey receive over 250 strong inquiries, with the Jersey Gambling Commission currently in detailed conversations about licensing with both operators and platform providers as a consequence of the meetings held on the Jersey stand at ICE.
Jersey eGaming laid its groundwork before the conference to put across the basis of Jersey’s offering as the latest jurisdiction for eGaming, including its provision of the most cost-effective licences, innovative gambling legislation and, most importantly, the Island’s established reputation as a well-regulated international finance centre.
Andy Jarrett, director at Digital Jersey, which was supporting the event, said that ICE was a ‘fantastic eye opener’, showing how successfully Jersey eGaming had put the message out to the whole industry about its offering.
‘The type of interest we saw at ICE was diverse; from new companies looking to set up, to existing, established organisations seeking an alternative, higher-quality jurisdiction, Mr Jarrett added.
‘We were delighted to receive such an unprecedented number of inquiries. Jersey’s regulatory standards stand us in great stead within the eGaming world, because the nature of that business sector requires rigorous standards of internal regulation in order to maintain their ability to trade.
‘The ICE team did an excellent job and I look forward to Jersey taking the next steps with the operators and platform providers we met at ICE.’
THE creation of a body to promote better communication and relations among businesses is being considered after a similar project was established in Guernsey two years ago.
Around 50 people have signed up for an event to be held this evening to talk about developing an industry group, Creative Industries Jersey, along the lines of the successful Creative Industries Guernsey organisation. Guernseyman Ed Prow, who has worked in Jersey for the past two years running the Jersey office of creative agency The Potting Shed, and Graham Daldry, creative director at Specsavers and the chairman of Creative Industries Guernsey will both speak at this evening’s event which takes place at the Digital Hub, in Grenville Street.
Last month, the Guernsey group brought their Learn Create Produce event to Jersey and Mr Prow said that the idea to develop something further grew from that initiative.
‘The question was posed then that given the success of CIG, do we feel that a CIJ could do the same?’ said Mr Prow. ‘Digital Jersey said it would be congruent to what it’s doing, so it was agreed that we would ask the question and see what happened.
‘We know that there is scope over here to do something similar and, much as we started in Guernsey, we can have a blank canvas to define it. We just want people to put their hands up and have a say – nothing will be discarded.’
The subject was raised at Digital Jersey’s Meeting of the Minds Unconference in September, and a previous sector body for creatives in Jersey was launched a few years ago but subsequently collapsed. Mr Prow said that there was no point in dwelling on the past and that it was time to move on.
He said that while there were cultural differences between the islands, the aims and opportunities for the creative sector should be fairly similar. The physical space of the Digital Jersey Hub was a definite advantage, he added.
‘In both islands there are brilliant people, but in Jersey there is no joined-up voice and collaboration for the industry as a whole.’
Mr Daldry will talk about the development and growth of CIG. The organisation has hosted two Learn Create Produce events with significant speakers from the creative sector brought in from outside the island, and run a number of workshops and events. It has particularly close links to students in the sector.
AN Islander who won an award for her performance in her studies for a professional qualification has landed a job on the back of her success.
Aimee Le Mercier, who attended Hautlieu School, was the winner of the CISI Certificate for Introduction to Securities & Investment (Schools).
She was recognised as a top performer at the Institute’s annual awards ceremony held recently at London’s Mansion House. Awards were given to 86 top performers in 56 categories.
The CISI’s qualifications attract over 37,000 entries each year, delivered in 74 countries.
Aimee received her award from Clare Gore-Langton, the chairman of the CISI Educational Trust. She studied for the exam while taking her A-levels to help realise her goal of entering the financial services industry. ‘This qualification has given me a great headstart in my career as I have secured a job with the sponsors, RBC,’ she said.’
Ms Le Mercier, who is now working as a corporate actions administrator, added: ‘I would definitely recommend this qualification. After completing it, I am looking to take further CISI exams.’
CISI director of learning, Lydia Romero, said: ‘Many congratulations to all of our candidates who have demonstrated the value of hard work in reaching their goals. Combining study with full-time or part-time employment is no mean feat and requires tremendous focus and tenacity.’
