Mark’s Gone Global

With a cost of living crisis and inflation adding to the pressure facing people’s pockets, it takes a brave person to set up their own business right now, but Mark O’Neill is doing just that. 

After working in the sector for over a decade, Mark has spent months planning to launch his own company, Global Gaming Solutions.

Aiming to deliver what he calls a ‘boutique and premium’ service, Mark plans to focus on providing a quality personal service to clients. 

He told Gef: ‘With the Isle of Man being in such a strong position, there are many gaming clients wanting to relocate to the island right now, both physically and also  by having a local presence via a company to obtain an Isle of Man license.

‘So the opportunity that I saw is that quite a lot of these gaming companies require a lot of time and commitment and in some cases, when they don’t have staff here, they require dedicated professionals to give them the time. So to me, having worked with a lot of the largest operators in the world, I saw a niche gap to offer a similar service, but to offer a boutique, premium type of service.’

Mark’s plan sees him working with gaming companies while working with expert partners to provide this service. 

He said: ‘I’ll be providing licensing and regulatory consultancy to ensure that operators can set up in the Isle of Man and operate accordingly. 

‘In comparison to some of my competitors, they have significantly more resources, but with significantly more clients. With me, it’s a small portfolio of clients, but you’re receiving industry experience, working with compliance experts and receiving an all round dedicated service. You’re getting a premium service.’

Strong Position

As previously mentioned, the economy is in a rough shape at the moment, with inflation and the cost of living causing concern even with low unemployment levels.

Despite this, Mark said that the gaming sector is ‘in a very strong position’ and will see him attain his aim of working for himself.
‘I’ve always wanted to do something on my own, so it’s always been in the back of my mind,’ he said.

‘With regards to the Isle of Man’s position, we have seen many changes in other jurisdictions which I believe have worked in favour of the Isle of Man.

‘For the past few years, I have travelled to many eGaming conferences with the Isle of Man Government and it is clear to see year after year how much momentum the Isle of Man is getting. The Isle of Man license list has doubled over the past 12 to 24 months, which just evidences the great work that both Isle of Man Government and Isle of Man Gambling Supervision have been doing. I believe the growth in the Isle of Man will continue at a healthy rate with the Island being a stable jurisdiction for eGaming clients.’

As well as supporting the sector with its stalls at events like ICE, Mark said the DfE has been supportive of his plans for Global Gaming Solutions and is always willing to help clients of companies when it can, further making the island attractive to what he hopes will be his future clients. 

Future

While Global Gaming Solutions is fresh out of the box and Mark is focussing on delivering for his clients, he is already keeping one eye on the future, with plans to look at multi-jurisdiction offerings and grow his workforce.

However, when growth does come, he said it won’t be done at the risk of losing the core emphasis of his business, to provide a personal and premium service. 

He said: ‘The goal is to grow steadily but there may be a need for additional staff in the future. But again, just making sure we don’t get ahead of ourselves and making sure that the business model remains as it is. We have established a premium service, which will remain at the forefront of our business.’

Global Gaming Solutions’ new base at the Isle of Man Business Park and you can find more info about it here.