The Alderney Gambling Control Commission has suspended the Category 2 Associate certificate for Bubble Group MV, which operates as Sheriff Gaming.
In a statement on the AGCC website, the Commission said it had “issued a Hearing Notice under Regulation 90 of the Alderney eGambling Regulations, 2009 to [Bubble Group MV] which trades as Sheriff Gaming.”
The Commission has also issued a Suspension Notice under Regulation 91, requiring Sheriff Gaming to “suspend operations immediately,” including “gambling transactions on behalf of Category 1 eGambling licensees.”
The suspension is in effect until either the Suspension Notice is cancelled or the AGCC has concluded the hearing, which has been scheduled for 10am on October 29, 2013, at the Royal Automobile Club in London’s Pall Mall. If the Suspension Notice is not cancelled before the hearing, Sheriff Gaming faces a minimum seven weeks’ suspension – subject to the outcome of the hearing.
In the wake of widely publicised raids in the Netherlands, which followed an investigation into the business activities of three individuals associated with the Bubble Group, the AGCC issued a statement on May 28, 2013, confirming that it was to launch a special investigation. The objective of the investigation was “to confirm that the bases on which Bubble Group BV and its sponsors were approved [for the certificate] remain correct.”
The recent Suspension Notice refers to section 12(1) of the Alderney eGambling Ordinance 2009. The relevant parts of section 12(1) state that suspension may occur if the licensee or certificate holder, or an associate of the licensee/holder, is no longer considered a "fit and proper person", or if the holder has contravened either the regulations or a condition of their licence.
André Wilsenach, executive director of the AGCC, was unable to elaborate on the circumstances of the suspension. He told iNTERGAMINGi magazine: “The matter is subject to a forthcoming hearing by the Commission and pending that hearing I can add nothing to the content of the notice I have already issued.”
Neither Sheriff Gaming nor Bubble has made any comment. Justin Franssen, of Kalff Katz and Franssen, one of the external lawyers working on the case, commented: "Bubble is currently reviewing the AGCC documentation and intends to make a public statement soon."
