25 January 2012 Last updated at 13:37 ET

Jersey licence bid by gaming company Playtech

Playtech is the first company to apply for a licence to operate out of Jersey

Gaming company Playtech has applied for a Jersey eGaming licence.

The company employs almost 2,000 people around the world and produces games for companies including Sky, Betfair and Paddy Power.

Jersey's Economic Development Minister Senator Alan Maclean said he had been working with the company for a number of months.

He said attracting a big company was a "huge stamp of approval for the eGaming strategy".

Playtech is one of the world's largest eGaming software developers, and the first to apply for a Jersey gaming licence.

Mor Weizer, Playtech's chief executive, said it met Jersey's authorities after an island delegation visited Israel in May 2011.

He said: "With many of our existing licences having operations in the Channel Islands it makes good sense for us to seek a licence in Jersey to support our customers from a regulated jurisdiction with a first class infrastructure."