Anjouan Casino License – What It Means and Why It’s Everywhere

Lizaro

Players Not Accepted

Review

Their Welcome Bonus

250% Up to €3,000 + 350 FS

Good things:

24/7 customer support
Diverse game-type options
Interactive bonuses

Review

Their Welcome Bonus

250% Up to €3,000 + 350 FS

18+ | New Players Only

24/7 customer support
Diverse game-type options
Interactive bonuses

Min. Deposit

€10

Min. Withdrawal

€10

Alf

Players Not Accepted

Review

Their Welcome Bonus

120% up to €240 + 50 FS

Good things:

More than 10,820 titles
Crypto-friendly
24/7 customer support

Review

Their Welcome Bonus

120% up to €240 + 50 FS

18+ | New Players Only

More than 10,820 titles
Crypto-friendly
24/7 customer support

Min. Deposit

€10

Min. Withdrawal

€10

Dudespin

Players Not Accepted

Review

Their Welcome Bonus

300% Up To €2,500 + 150FS

Good things:

Generous bonuses
Crypto-friendly
Decent Support

Review

Their Welcome Bonus

300% Up To €2,500 + 150FS

18+ | New Players Only

Generous bonuses
Crypto-friendly
Decent Support

Min. Deposit

€10

Min. Withdrawal

€10

Why This License Is Suddenly Everywhere

This license isn’t exactly new. I’ve known about Anjouan handing out gambling licenses since the early 2000s, but for most of that time, it mostly flew way under the radar. It would show up every now and then on smaller sites, but no one really talked about it (or took it that seriously).

That changed recently. All of a sudden, I kept seeing it again and again. One day, it was just sitting quietly in the background… and the next, it felt like every other new casino was waving it around like it actually meant something. I don’t think that sudden spike is random.

The Curacao Shift

Here’s what happened. See, a lot of other offshore regulators have been tightening their standards. Curacao is the main culprit.

For a long time, that was the license casinos turned to when they didn’t want too much friction. That setup worked great for them, but not so much for us. It had a bad reputation amongst regular players, and if I am being honest, it still does.

But over the last couple of years, Curacao has started to clean things up. They’ve been working on stricter rules, asking more from operators, and finally trying to look like a serious regulator. I actually think that’s a good thing, as some sites stepped up and followed the rules. Others didn’t. They bailed and started looking for something less demanding.

So, naturally, that left a gap. And guess who filled it?

What Anjouan Makes Possible

It’s fast and it’s cheap. I think those are the two big draws. Oh, and right now, it’s letting platforms get live without much resistance. This must be a pretty convenient setup if you’re trying to launch quickly or avoid stricter checks. Some sites use it just to get started (not that it excuses them). Others… might be hoping you won’t ask too many questions.

Has it always been like this? Yeah, more or less. It was just Curacao (or other alternatives), now it’s Anjouan. The difference is that now, more people are paying attention and not all of them are thrilled with what they’re seeing.

What It Takes to Get One of These Licenses

By now, you probably already have a rough idea of how this license works. This isn’t one of those licenses where you’re expected to go through intense vetting. From what I’ve seen, there’s no deep review process, no technical testing of the games, and no obvious follow-up once the license is granted. You don’t have to send in financial reports or meet strict compliance deadlines. At least, not in any way that’s visible to the outside.

It’s so obviously designed to get sites up and running with minimal effort. That’s been the draw all along. And that’s not a guess! It’s based on what I’ve seen over and over. I’ve looked into the process out of pure curiosity, mostly to see what casinos have to do to get approved. And the answer is… Not a whole lot. You send in some paperwork, pay the fee, and you’re pretty much set. And the worst part? That’s not even considered strange. That is the setup.

The Two Main License Types

B2C license: This one’s for the operators. If you’re running a casino or sportsbook that accepts real bets from players, this is the license you’re applying for. It covers casino games, slots, sports betting, and live dealer tables. So, pretty much the whole package.
B2B license: This is for service providers. That could be game studios, platform developers, or payment solutions that work with the B2C brands. In theory, this type of license is meant to give business partners a way to show they’re “official.” However, I’ve never seen much proof that anyone’s actually checking.

The Application Process

If you’re expecting some big audit or long approval window, think again. The steps are laid out, but I think they’re more of a checklist than a challenge. Here’s what the process looks like on paper:

Step	What It Involves
1. Submit Application	Fill out forms with company and personal details for directors, shareholders, and UBOs.
2. Pay Licensing Fee	Send the money. No payment, no progress.
3. Submit Supporting Docs	Business registration, ID, proof of address, hosting and software agreements, and an organizational chart.
4. Certify Everything	All documents must be in English (or translated) and certified by a lawyer, accountant, or notary.
5. Appoint a Compliance Officer	Someone separate from the ownership structure, with ID and proof of address.
6. Wait for Verification	The documents get reviewed. How thorough this is? Hard to say.
7. Final Approval	If all’s good, the gaming board signs off, and the license is issued if all your documents come through.

Sounds official enough, right? And in fairness, it kind of is… at least on paper. But like most offshore licensing processes, everything runs through agents. You’re not logging into some government portal or getting slick status updates along the way. It’s emails, attachments, scanned IDs, and a wire transfer. That’s how the sausage gets made.

The Fees (Because Nothing’s Free)

We’ve already talked about what the license is and how easy it is to get, but there’s one thing that always deserves a closer look: the money. So I went through the licensing site to see what the actual costs look like, not just the rough estimates floating around. And here’s what I found:

Category	Details	Cost (EUR)
Incorporation of Holding Company	Covers setting up an Anjouan-registered company	3,100
Gaming License	Includes up to two URLs	17,000
ISP Services for Compliance Backup	Required service tied to compliance obligations	13,300/year
Compliance Officer / Key Person	Annual authorization fee	2,000/year
Extra Compliance + ISP Add-on	Additional backup and compliance package	1,700/year
Nominee Shareholder (Optional)	If you want a third party listed as a shareholder	4,000/year
Nominee Director (Optional)	Same idea, but for directorship	6,000/year
Power of Attorney	For handing over authority to an agent	500

A couple of extra things stood out to me:

The license includes two URLs, but if you want more, you’ll need to pay €1,000 for each extra one, per licensing cycle. And no, you can’t swap domains mid-cycle. What you register is what you’re stuck with.
Prices don’t include VAT, and if your setup has more than four individual shareholders or directors, you’ll probably be hit with extra fees for being too “complex.”

So yeah, this license might be light on oversight, but the price tag is still very real. Once you factor in the required stuff (like compliance and ISP services), you’re realistically looking at €30,000 to €35,000 a year, even without all the optional extras.

And honestly? I think that’s still low compared to what top-tier regulators charge. If you’re going for a license from the Malta Gaming Authority, you’re looking at a non-refundable application fee of €5,000, a yearly license fee that starts at €25,000, and compliance contributions that scale based on revenue. Not to mention legal, corporate, and audit costs that can push your first-year total well over €100,000.

The UK Gambling Commission isn’t much cheaper either. Their fees depend on your revenue, but between the application, annual fees, testing requirements, and ongoing reporting, you’re still spending tens of thousands.

What’s Actually Expected From Licensed Casinos

There are requirements, at least on paper. Anjouan says licensed casinos need to meet certain standards, and they do list out some rules. But from what I’ve seen, these rules mostly exist to look good, not to actually hold anyone accountable.

Here’s what operators are supposed to have in place:

Compliance & Policies:

KYC (Know Your Customer) procedures
AML (Anti-Money Laundering) policy
Responsible Gambling tools
Self-exclusion systems
Underage gaming protection
KYC documents must be certified and issued within 90 days

Website Requirements:

Proof of domain ownership
Terms and Conditions published in PDF format, linked sitewide
Software Agreement or RNG certificate
Signed agreements for sports betting content (if applicable)

Restricted Markets:

GEO-blocking required for: Australia, Austria, St. Kitts & Nevis, France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, the UK, the US
Plus all FATF blacklisted or sanctioned countries
Operators are expected to handle compliance checks for any other “problem” territories, too

Just Because It’s in the Terms Doesn’t Mean It Happens

On paper, all of this sounds pretty responsible. But in practice? I’ve seen way too many casinos play fast and loose with the rules they claim to follow.

Plenty of them list KYC policies right there in the footer, but then let you deposit and play without a single check, only to freeze your account the second you try to cash out. Suddenly they need ID, a photo of you holding the ID, and a utility bill from three months ago. Is that technically KYC? I guess. But let’s be honest, it’s more of a stall tactic than a real process.

And that’s the problem. Anjouan has these conditions written into the license, but I’ve never seen much to suggest they’re being enforced. There’s no clear complaint process. No enforcement reports. No real consequences when a site ignores the rules (which I think is why some of them do).

I mean, is there a process for disputes? Technically, yes. There’s a page where you can send a complaint to the regulator. But whether anything actually comes from it, that’s harder to say.

From what I’ve seen, players aren’t exactly confident in how these issues get handled. And I get why. Offshore setups like this don’t usually come with strong support systems. You can reach out, but follow-up isn’t guaranteed. And even if it does come, it’s not like much can be done. The system’s already flawed from the moment you clicked “I agree” on those terms and conditions.

So sure, casinos are required to meet certain standards. But most of the time, it feels like they’re just going through the motions, doing the bare minimum to stay on paper, not because anyone’s keeping a close eye on them.