When Sportingbet, the online gaming company quoted on London’s junior market, Aim, was looking to transfer its European business from London, it assessed each potential location on four key criteria. Guernsey beat competition from the likes of Jersey, Malta and Gibraltar to come first or second in every category, and Sportingbet Europe relocated in September last year.

It was the delay in the enactment of the UK Gambling Act 2005 that prompted Sportingbet to undertake a review of its European business. “The development of the Act was creating a lot of uncertainty and it actually proved to be more unfriendly than we thought, particularly for internet operators,” says Bob Dutnall, managing director of Sportingbet Europe.