TLDR The Isle of Man wants to fine individual gambling executives, not just companies, for compliance failures The proposed Gambling Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2025 targets directors, compliance officers, and key personnel Penalties would apply when breaches occur through consent, connivance, or negligence The move follows a £200,000 fine issued to Shelgeyr, owner of Maverick Games, for due diligence failures Public consultation on the proposals is open until May 25, 2026
The Isle of Man is considering a major change to how it regulates its gambling industry. The island’s Gambling Supervision Commission wants the power to fine individual executives, not just the companies they work for.
Under the current system, only licensed business entities can be penalized when compliance rules are broken. The proposed Gambling Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2025 would change that by allowing regulators to impose civil financial penalties directly on people.
The targets would include directors, compliance officials, and other key personnel. These are the individuals who make day-to-day decisions about how anti-money laundering and know-your-customer rules are followed.
Penalties would apply when a compliance breach happens through a person’s consent, connivance, or negligence. The commission launched a public consultation to gather feedback on the draft measures.
Recent Enforcement Action Highlights Compliance Gaps
The proposal comes after a string of enforcement concerns on the island. Last month, the commission issued a £200,000 fine to Shelgeyr, the company behind Maverick Games.
Investigators found multiple failures in how the company handled customer due diligence. There were also problems with enhanced due diligence procedures and ongoing account monitoring.
Officials said the issues at Shelgeyr were systemic, not the result of isolated mistakes. The case underlined the limits of only being able to penalize companies rather than the people running them.
The commission said it needed better tools to hold