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Guernsey has no local online casino licensing system. Players use offshore sites regulated by Malta, the UKGC, Gibraltar, or Curaçao, each with different protections and risks.
Table of contents Guernsey sits in the Channel Islands. It is not part of the United Kingdom. That one fact changes everything about how online gambling works here.
There are no locally licensed online casinos in Guernsey. The island's gambling law dates back to 1971. It covers bookmakers, lotteries, bingo, and a few traditional games like Crown & Anchor. It was never built to regulate online casinos or sports betting sites.
So where do Guernsey players actually gamble? Offshore. Most use sites licensed in Malta, Gibraltar, or the UK. Some use Curaçao-licensed brands. Each license type comes with different levels of protection - and different risks.
Guernsey's gambling framework offers some benefits for players and some real drawbacks. The island's hands-off approach to online gambling creates freedom but also leaves gaps in protection.
The main law is the Gambling (Guernsey) Law, 1971. It created a permit-and-license system for specific local activities. Think betting shops, charity raffles, cinema racing, and bingo halls. The Committee for Home Affairs oversees these permits.
This is not a modern gambling code. It does not mention online casinos. It does not cover sports betting apps. It handles the physical, in-person gambling that existed in 1971, plus some updates over the decades.
One key rule stands out. Guernsey law restricts the sale and delivery of lottery tickets to people physically present in the Bailiwick. You cannot mail tickets. You cannot send them by email. The seller must verify age and presence in person. This "physical presence" requirement shows how the law was designed for a pre-internet world.
Here is where it gets confusing. Guernsey itself has no online gambling regulator. But Alderney, a tiny island in the same Bailiwick, does.
The Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC) is one of the world's most respected eGambling regulators. It operates under the Alderney eGambling Ordinance, 2009 and has licensed online operators since 2000. The AGCC requires strict player fund segregation, AML checks, and operational resilience standards.
Does the AGCC regulate Guernsey? Not directly. It regulates operators licensed in Alderney. But there is overlap. Equipment used for eGambling can be hosted anywhere in the Bailiwick, including Guernsey, as long as it sits with a certified hosting provider. So the AGCC's reach touches Guernsey's infrastructure, even if Guernsey's own government does not issue online gambling licenses.
No official list of approved offshore casinos exists in Guernsey. The government does not publish one. Players choose their own sites and accept the regulatory framework that comes with each operator's license.
Research from a 2019 public health study (published 2023) confirmed that Guernsey residents do gamble online. This is not surprising. What matters is understanding the three tiers of offshore operators you might encounter.
Some of the biggest names in online gambling accept players from the Channel Islands.
How licensing works in practice: Lets take a site that holds both a UKGC license and an MGA license, as an example. If you live in the UK or Isle of Man, you fall under UKGC rules. If you live in Guernsey, your account may be governed by the MGA license or the Gibraltar license instead. The brand is the same. The app looks the same. But the regulator protecting you is different.
Pros of MGA/UKGC/Gibraltar-licensed sites:
Cons for Guernsey players specifically:
Curaçao has been a major offshore licensing hub for years. A big change happened in December 2024: the new LOK (National Ordinance on Games of Chance) took effect. The old master-sublicense system is being replaced. The regulator is now called the Curaçao Gaming Authority.
What this means for Guernsey players: Curaçao sites often offer bigger welcome bonuses and fewer restrictions than MGA or UKGC sites. That is partly how they compete. Fewer rules mean more generous marketing.
Pros of Curaçao-licensed sites:
Cons of Curaçao-licensed sites:
Some sites operate with licenses from jurisdictions like Anjouan or with no license at all. These carry the highest risk.
Risks include:
For more on how different bonus offers in Guernsey vary by license type, see our dedicated bonuses page.
Guernsey's local regulations do include some consumer safeguards for in-person gambling. The Committee for Home Affairs requires that local gambling does not become a source of crime, that it remains fair, and that children and vulnerable people are protected. Age restrictions apply to lotteries, bingo, and betting offices.
Online is a different story. GAMSTOP, the UK's self-exclusion scheme, covers operators licensed in Great Britain. Guernsey is not Great Britain. A November 2025 GAMSTOP help article confirmed that registration from the Channel Islands does not guarantee blocking from all operators. Some sites may honor it. Others may not. It depends on which license serves your account.
What can you do instead?
Local help exists. The Guernsey Gamblers Support Group is a charity that provides emotional and practical support, including self-exclusion guidance. In-Dependence expanded its services to cover gambling in 2019. GamCare, the UK-based helpline, may not provide full services to Guernsey residents. Some locals have reported it feels designed for mainland UK only.
There is no single Guernsey regulator that can force an offshore operator to pay you. Your options depend entirely on who licensed the casino.
This is why checking your operator's license before depositing matters. For Guernsey players, it is the single most important step.
Guernsey has income tax, but gambling winnings have historically been treated as untaxed. A 2008 Treasury & Resources policy document described the long-standing practice: tax administrators treated lottery wins and gambling profits as not subject to income tax.
No official 2026 statement from the Revenue Service confirms this policy still holds in all cases. If you win large amounts, getting independent tax advice is smart. The practice appears to favor players, but it has never been written into law as a clear exemption.
Offshore operators do not pay gambling-specific taxes in Guernsey. Corporate tax applies to companies registered in Guernsey, with a standard rate of 0% for many business types. This is about corporate structure, not a tax on your bets.
Alderney's eGambling sector does generate public revenue. The AGCC has contributed over £40 million to the States of Alderney since its founding. That money comes from licensing fees, not from taxing players.
1971 — Gambling (Guernsey) Law enacted. Establishes the core legal framework for betting, gaming, and lotteries on the island.
1973 — Gambling (Betting) Ordinance introduced. Sets rules for bookmakers and limits the number of betting offices in Guernsey.
1975 — Channel Islands Lottery Ordinance created. Provides the legal basis for the shared lottery across the Bailiwick.
2002-2003 — Guernsey Gambling Control Commission established. Commissioners appointed in December 2002; casino gaming regulations activated in March 2003.
2016 — Gambling (Betting) Amendment Ordinance approved by the States of Guernsey. Updates rules for local betting operators.
2021 — Channel Islands Lottery Amendment Ordinance takes effect (April 30). Changes the annual reporting deadline from March 31 to June 30.
2023-2025 — Public health research on gambling published. MONEYVAL evaluation of the Bailiwick completed. The AGCC was reviewed as an AML/CFT (Anti-Money Laundering / Combating the Financing of Terrorism) supervisory authority.
Guernsey's gambling laws grew slowly. The 1971 law was built for a small island with a few betting shops and charity raffles. It did not imagine online casinos or mobile sports betting. For decades, that was fine. The island's gambling scene was modest and mostly physical.
The early 2000s brought the first real change. A dedicated Gambling Control Commission was set up in 2002 to regulate casino gaming. Meanwhile, next door in Alderney, the AGCC was already licensing online gambling operators for the global market. The two islands took very different paths. Alderney embraced eGambling regulation, while Guernsey kept its focus on local, in-person activities.
The 2020s shifted the conversation toward public health. A major research project studied gambling harm among Guernsey residents. Its findings, published in 2023, documented the gap between what the law covered and what people actually did, including widespread online gambling on offshore sites. At the same time, MONEYVAL evaluators reviewed the Bailiwick's anti-money-laundering controls, putting the AGCC under international scrutiny alongside the Guernsey Financial Services Commission.
The biggest question for Guernsey is whether the island will ever create its own online gambling framework. Right now, the 1971 law covers local activities. The AGCC covers eGambling in Alderney. There is a gap in the middle. No Guernsey-specific regulation for the online casinos its residents actually use.
Jersey already modernized. Its Gambling (Jersey) Law 2012 rewrote the rules from scratch. The Isle of Man has regulated online gambling since 2001. Guernsey is the outlier among the Crown Dependencies. Political pressure to update may grow as online gambling becomes more visible in public health discussions.
Curaçao's 2024 licensing reform could also affect Guernsey players indirectly. If the new Curaçao Gaming Authority tightens enforcement, some loosely regulated sites may shut down or improve their standards. That could push more Guernsey players toward MGA or UKGC-licensed brands, or toward even less regulated alternatives.
Watch for movement on responsible gambling infrastructure too. The 2023 health impact study flagged clear gaps in local support services. Expanding the Guernsey Gamblers Support Group, improving access to self-exclusion tools, and building formal links with UK-based services like GamCare could all happen without new legislation. These changes might come faster than any law reform.
Guernsey's gambling laws are old. They work for local betting shops and charity raffles, but they do not cover the online casinos and sportsbooks that residents actually use. Players rely on the regulatory frameworks of offshore operators, mainly MGA, UKGC, Gibraltar, and Curaçao. Each license tier offers different protections, and knowing which one governs your account is the most important thing you can do before you deposit.
For a full overview of what is available, visit our Guernsey online casinos hub. You can also explore bonus offers available to Guernsey players or check out no-deposit bonus options to see what you can try without risking your own money first.
