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The offshore licensing market is shifting quickly. Places that once gave operators a cheap and simple entry are now tightening the rules and charging more. Curaçao is the clearest case. Its new National Ordinance on Games of Chance, known as LOK, has replaced sublicensing with direct B2C and B2B permits. Alongside that change come stricter anti-money laundering rules, more robust responsible gaming obligations, and the need for a more substantial local presence.
For operators, this reform has brought higher costs and longer lead times. Many are now turning to alternatives that can be set up more easily and at lower cost. One of the strongest options is the Anjouan gaming license, which refreshed its application system in 2023 and today offers one of the fastest ways to launch an iGaming business.
Anjouan and Its Regulatory Framework
Anjouan, also known as Ndzuwani, is one of three islands that make up the Union of the Comoros in the Indian Ocean. The Union is run by the federal government, while each island keeps its own administration. Until 2018, the presidency rotated between the islands. That system has since been abolished.
Gambling on Anjouan is regulated by the Computer Gaming Licensing Act 007 of 2005, along with other supporting statutes. The regulatory authority is Anjouan Gaming, operating under the Anjouan Offshore Financial Authority (AOFA), with supervisory oversight from the Anjouan Gaming Board. Licence applications are processed via the Anjouan Gaming website.
Although the legal framework dates back to 2005, it has been updated in stages. ALSI simplified the application process in 2023, making it easier for international applicants to enter the jurisdiction.
A further set of changes followed in 2025: a B2B Recognition Letter program for foreign-licensed suppliers, ongoing RNG certification requirements, and a restructured fee schedule replacing the previous itemised structure with a flat annual fee for each licence category.
Anjouan in the Licensing Landscape
Anjouan is often grouped with Curaçao and Kahnawàke among offshore jurisdictions, while Malta and the Isle of Man are considered more established, with broader banking and PSP acceptance. They also carry much higher costs and stricter requirements.
Compared to Curaçao, Anjouan is faster and cheaper, with approvals in weeks rather than months. It is less recognised than Kahnawàke in North America, but also less demanding in cost and operational substance.
It’s worth being clear about what category Anjouan falls into. Established national markets like the United Kingdom and Germany run domestic licensing regimes that are not substitutes for an offshore licence. Those markets are officially not available under Anjouan and operators must geo-block them.
Operating in jurisdictions like these requires a local licence from the national regulator. National licences are substantially more expensive, take months rather than weeks to obtain, and demand far deeper due diligence on ownership, source of funds, and technical infrastructure. The trade-off is credibility. A UK or German licence carries weight with tier-one banks, payment providers, and institutional partners that an offshore licence does not. The two categories solve different problems.
Scope of the Anjouan Gaming Licence
The Anjouan framework issues two distinct licence categories. Operators that want to do both apply for each licence separately.
B2C Operator Licence
The B2C Operator Licence covers entities offering gaming services directly to players. It authorises a broad scope of verticals including online casinos, sports betting, poker, bingo, prediction markets, blockchain-based gaming platforms, and cryptocurrency-enabled gaming. The framework is suitable for turnkey solutions, white-label operations, and direct-to-consumer brands.
B2C licensees may only contract B2B suppliers that hold either a full Anjouan B2B licence or a Recognition Letter, with the regulator’s Recognition Letter Register listing current holders.
B2B Service Provider Licence
Suppliers already authorised by a recognised regulator may apply for a Recognition Letter as an alternative to the full B2B licence. The list of recognised home jurisdictions is published on the regulator’s Recognition Letter Register.
Common obligations
Both licence categories share the same core compliance framework. Operators are required to apply geo-blocking. Restricted markets include the Comoros domestic market, all FATF-blacklisted countries, and any jurisdiction that requires a local licence the operator does not hold (which includes most established national markets such as the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Australia, and Austria).
Both fiat and cryptocurrency payments are permitted. Compliance obligations include AML and counter-terrorist financing policies, hosting that allows regulator access, fairness certification for proprietary games, and responsible gambling measures. Game suppliers must hold an accredited RNG test certificate from a recognised testing laboratory.
The B2B Recognition Letter: an Alternative Route for Foreign-Licensed Suppliers
Alongside the two main licence categories, the Anjouan framework offers a third route specifically for B2B suppliers. The B2B Recognition Letter is intended for suppliers already authorised by a recognised regulator who want to serve Anjouan-licensed B2C operators without going through the full Anjouan B2B licensing process. The regulator maintains a public Recognition Letter Register listing current holders.
The annual fee has been widely reported at €9,500 with a one-time application fee of €2,900. These figures come from licensing service providers rather than the regulator’s currently published fee schedule, which lists only full B2C and B2B licences. Applicants should confirm current fees directly with Anjouan Gaming.
In practical terms, B2C licensees can only contract B2B suppliers whose status appears on the public register or who hold a full Anjouan B2B licence. Platform, content, and PSP selection should be confirmed against the register before any commercial commitment.
A business plan and compliance documentation must be submitted with the application. Hosting must be configured so the regulator can access operational data. While no statutory minimum share capital is set, applicants are expected to demonstrate financial standing and good faith. Some service providers may set higher thresholds as part of their packages. Applications from FATF-blacklisted jurisdictions or individuals with revoked licences are rejected.
Requirements and Eligibility
The Authority publishes its application and due diligence framework on its Licensing and Regulatory Framework sections.
Applicants for an Anjouan licence must:
- Disclose all shareholders and ultimate beneficial owners, with the full ownership chain documented
- Provide government-issued identification, proof of address, and personal declarations for all directors, beneficial owners, and key persons
- Appoint a designated Compliance Officer responsible for AML/CTF oversight
- Demonstrate adequate financial resources, supported by audited financial statements, bank references, and source-of-funds evidence
- Submit corporate formation documents, including certificates of incorporation, articles of association, and shareholder registers
- Maintain technical infrastructure meeting defined security, availability, and data integrity requirements
The Authority screens all applicants, key persons, and beneficial owners against international sanctions lists, politically exposed persons databases, and adverse media sources. No licence is issued where screening identifies unresolved concerns.
A business plan and compliance documentation must be submitted with the application. Hosting must be configured so the regulator can access operational data. While no statutory minimum share capital is set, applicants are expected to demonstrate financial standing and good faith. Some service providers may set higher thresholds as part of their packages. Applications from FATF-blacklisted jurisdictions or individuals with revoked licences are rejected.
Common Application Pitfalls
Most application delays cluster around a handful of recurring issues, and operators who plan around them tend to hit the published approval window.
The most common failure is incomplete ownership disclosure. Charts that stop at an intermediate holding company will be returned; the regulator expects the chain to be mapped all the way to natural persons with verifying documents at each layer. Mismatched corporate filings are a related problem, where the articles, shareholder register, and submitted organisational chart don’t tell the same story.
The source of funds is the second common stumbling block. “Business profits” or “personal savings” alone is rarely sufficient. Specific origin events with supporting documents (share sales, dividend distributions, salary history) carry more weight, ideally with the kind of trail a bank would accept for onboarding.
Two operational issues round out the list. Game suppliers must use accredited testing laboratories for RNG certification; certificates from unrecognised labs will not be accepted. Activity scope should be disclosed in full at submission, as adding verticals later requires amendments and additional fees.
Core Anjouan Gaming Licence Fees
The Authority publishes a fee schedule for both licence categories on its official Fees page. The schedule covers applications, issuance, and annual renewals in Euros.
- B2C Licence Issuance: €17,828, one-time
- B2B Licence Issuance: €17,828, one-time
- Annual Renewal (B2C or B2B): €17,828, payable each year
- Additional Domain or URL (B2C only): €500 per licensing cycle
Application fees are non-refundable regardless of the outcome of the application. Annual renewal fees are due prior to the licence renewal date as specified by the Authority. The Authority may also charge additional administrative fees for domain changes, licence amendments, replacement certificates, and similar services, which are communicated at the time of request. Fee schedules are subject to periodic review, and applicants should confirm current fees directly with the Authority before submission.
These are the regulator’s fees only. Operators applying through a licensing service provider or corporate services firm will incur separate fees for company formation, application support, ongoing corporate maintenance, and any nominee or compliance services arranged with the provider.
What Service Providers Typically Charge On Top
The regulator’s fees cover only the licence itself. Most operators apply through a licensing service provider, and the typical service provider package is built around the incorporation of a local Anjouan entity. Operators who already have an approved foreign entity with a local agent in place can skip incorporation costs but will still pay for the application work and ongoing corporate services.
Pricing varies between providers, but as a general guide, published quotes from established licensing firms include:
- Company incorporation in Anjouan (if applicable): around €3,000–3,200
- Corporate maintenance per year: typically €2,500–5,000 for registered office, local agent, and compliance support
- Additional due diligence for larger ownership structures: €250–500 per person above the standard scope
- Nominee services where required: one-off fees in the €4,000–6,000 range, or annual nominee arrangements from €1,500
Operators should request a full written quote from any provider before engaging, since scope and inclusions differ significantly between firms.
Anjouan Gaming License Application Process and Timeline
The Authority publishes a structured application process that proceeds through four defined stages. Each stage must be completed satisfactorily before the application advances.
- Submission of application documentation. The applicant submits the required forms and supporting documentation as specified in the Required Documents section.
- Review of applicant information. The Authority reviews the submission for completeness and accuracy, and may contact the applicant for clarification or additional information.
- Regulatory due diligence. The Authority conducts corporate structure review, key person assessment, source of funds verification, and sanctions screening.
- Licence issuance. Upon successful completion of all stages, the Authority issues the Internet Gaming Licence subject to defined conditions. The licence is recorded in the public register.
The Authority states that processing times depend on the completeness of the submitted documentation and the complexity of the due diligence review, and does not publish a fixed timeline. Service providers commonly report two to four weeks from submission to issuance for well-prepared applications, with three to six weeks end-to-end when company incorporation and other preparation is included. Operators should treat these ranges as guidance rather than guaranteed timelines.
Where Anjouan Fits and Where It Doesn't
Anjouan tends to work for operators who need to launch quickly to test a product or validate a market, run crypto-first or hybrid models that struggle to onboard elsewhere, target emerging markets in Asia, Latin America, and Africa where speed and cost matter more than licence prestige, or have a licensing budget under fifty thousand euros and want the maximum scope per euro spent.
It is a less natural fit for operators who plan to target regulated EU markets where a local permit is required, depend on tier-one banking relationships, expect institutional investor scrutiny where licence prestige is part of due diligence, or rely on advertising platforms with strict licence checks such as Google Ads or Meta. For operators in the second group, Anjouan often still makes sense as a starter licence with a planned migration to Curaçao, Kahnawake, or Malta once revenue and operational maturity justify the higher cost.
Final Take
The Anjouan gaming licence is now one of the most cost-effective and flexible options for entering the iGaming market in 2026. It combines fast approvals with broad coverage and clear separate routes for B2C operators and B2B suppliers. For many operators, it provides a realistic offshore base at a fraction of the cost of tier-one jurisdictions.
At Vegangster, we hold an Anjouan licence and can help you launch a white-label casino or sportsbook under this framework. Our turnkey setup brings together licensing, platform technology, and operational support so you can go live quickly and scale with confidence.
FAQ
How much does an Anjouan gaming license cost in 2026?
The Authority’s fee is €17,828 for a B2C or B2B licence, payable at issuance and on annual renewal. Additional domains are €500 per licensing cycle for B2C licences. Most operators apply through a licensing service provider and incur separate charges for company formation, application support, and ongoing corporate services, which vary between providers.
How long does it take to get an Anjouan gaming license?
The Authority does not publish a fixed timeline and states that processing depends on the completeness of documentation and the complexity of due diligence. Service providers commonly report two to four weeks from submission to issuance for well-prepared applications, with three to six weeks end-to-end when company incorporation is included.
Can an Anjouan gaming licence be used for crypto casinos?
Yes. Both fiat and cryptocurrency payments are permitted, provided standard AML, fairness, and responsible gambling controls are in place.
Do I need a separate licence to supply technology to Anjouan operators?
B2B suppliers serving Anjouan-licensed B2C operators are expected to hold either a full Anjouan B2B Licence or a B2B Recognition Letter. The Recognition Letter is a fast-track route for suppliers already authorised by recognised regulators, with current holders listed on the public Recognition Letter Register.
Will banks and payment providers accept an Anjouan licence?
Acceptance depends on the provider. Some PSPs and banks support Anjouan-licensed operators, while others may require additional checks or alternative licensing.
Is an Anjouan licence suitable for long-term scaling?
Anjouan works well for fast market entry and early growth. Operators planning tier-one banking or regulated EU expansion may later migrate to a higher-tier jurisdiction.
