by Renee Israel
Sixty four year old Allan Bell has been appointed as the new Chief Minister
of the Isle of Man, it was reported this week.
Bell is former Treasury and Economic Development Minister and the Ramsey MHK
was elected by the Island's Parliament, Trynwald on Tuesday, October 11th.
Allan Bell has been a member of the Isle of Man parliament for 27 years and
succeeds Tony Brow, who retired from politics.
Bell's political career has been long and illustrious, beginning with when he
was first elected in 1984. He subsequently went on to fill many roles, including
Minister of Tourism, Industry and Home Affairs. Bell served as Treasury
Minister for nearly a decade until 2010, when he became the Isle of Man's first
Economic Development Minister.
Speaking about his election, Bell said: "It is a great honour to be appointed
Chief Minister at this time of challenge and opportunity for the Isle of Man."
"The challenge is to rebalance the Government's budget and maintain the
development and diversification of the Island's economy in a difficult global
environment," he said. "The opportunity is to make changes that will secure the
future of the Isle of Man as a competitive and responsible centre for
international business."
Isle of Man Respected eGambling Jurisdiction
The Isle of Man is considered a respected egambling jurisdiction
and is listed on the UK's 'white list' of recognised jurisdictions.
Many leading online gambling groups are licensed by the Isle of
Man's Gambling Supervision Commission which was established in 1962. The island
gained worldwide attention in the early 2000's as a tax-friendly, respectable
internet gambling jurisdiction, and continues to promote itself as a top
destination for gambling groups.
The Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission receives
resources from the Treasury.
The Commission is made up of a Director, a Policy Officer, an
Operational Manager, four gaming inspectors and two secretaries. The team has
vast experience in the licensing, regulation and operational aspects of
gambling.
The island's Department of Economic Development, which the
Isle of Man Chief Minister headed, is in charge of developing the Isle of
Man as a progressive jurisdiction for e-gambling.
The Gambling Supervision Commission licenses a number of
gambling companies, including JenningsBet, Mahjong Logic, NYX Interactive
Network, Paddy Power Holdings, Viaden Gaming and Chronicle Bookmakers, all which
operate online gambling sites that are allowed to offer their services and
products to the UK gambling public.
