For years, Curacao was the undisputed king of offshore iGaming licenses. But with the introduction of strict new LOK regulations – bringing mandatory physical offices, local directors, and ballooning fees – the landscape has shifted. The once-accessible safe bet now demands a Tier-1 commitment.

Under such circumstances, the autonomous island of Anjouan has quickly become the fastest-growing offshore licensing hub in modern iGaming. Following a 2023 regulatory overhaul, more than 1,300 operators managing 2,000+ domains have already flocked to the jurisdiction.

The draw is simple:

• The lowest entry costs on the market.
• Rapid processing times measured in just weeks.
• An all-in-one permit covering every major gaming vertical.

Anjouan provides a rare, high-speed path to market. But the full picture is more complex than just a cheap, fast license.

In this guide, we unpack the mechanics of the Anjouan Gaming License. Read on to discover exactly what it covers, the true costs of entry, how to navigate the application process, and the critical business questions every operator must answer before making a move.

The modern Anjouan licensing framework traces its roots to the Computer Gaming Licensing Act of 2005, substantially modernized and streamlined in 2023. Daily administration of licenses is handled by Anjouan Licensing Services Inc. (ALSI), the sole authorized representative of the Anjouan Betting and Gaming Board (ABGB), operating through the official portal at AnjouanGaming.com. Two primary license categories are recognized:

• Remote Gaming License (B2C): For operators providing casino, sports betting, and other gaming services directly to players.
• Gaming Software License (B2B): For platform providers, game studios, aggregators, and technical suppliers serving licensed operators. As of July 2025, all critical B2B suppliers must hold either a direct Anjouan B2B license or a recognized B2B License Recognition Certificate.

One of Anjouan’s defining commercial advantages is that a single B2C license covers virtually every gaming vertical. Unlike jurisdictions requiring separate permits for different verticals, Anjouan’s all-in-one model eliminates administrative fragmentation and compounding regulatory costs.

Certain activities fall outside the scope of the Anjouan license to protect the jurisdiction’s regulatory standing:

• Financial Spread Betting: Wagering on Forex, binary options, or derivatives markets is not authorized.
• Physical Prize Lotteries: Cross-border logistics and customs complexities make these impractical within the license framework.
• Unlicensed B2B Suppliers: Since July 2025, operators are prohibited from using B2B providers lacking a valid Anjouan license or recognized B2B Certificate. Non-compliance after September 30, 2025 constitutes grounds for immediate license suspension.
• Services to Minors: Promotion of gambling to individuals under 18 is strictly prohibited; mandatory age-gating is enforced.

The geographical reach of an Anjouan license is broad, though operators should note that the restricted jurisdiction list is notably larger than competing alternatives. As of 2026, the following territories are off-limits:

Failure to enforce these geo-restrictions constitutes a material breach of license conditions and may result in immediate revocation.

Let’s address what matters most: the Anjouan license is, by a considerable margin, the most affordable major gaming license on the market. In an industry where regulatory costs have become a genuine barrier to entry, that distinction carries real weight.

The base government fee for Year 1, with due diligence and compliance officer costs, brings the total first-year outlay to €18,000. Annual renewal costs are €18,000 — a fraction of what operators pay to maintain licenses in Curacao, Malta, or the UK.

From a taxation perspective, the position is equally compelling. Operators can be incorporated as Anjouan IBCs, or a Costa Rica entity, or in any other jurisdiction that can benefit from a 0% rate on Gross Gaming Revenue and zero corporate income tax on offshore earnings. A medium-sized operation generating €2M in annual profit retains the entirety of that margin — capital that can be reinvested in acquisition campaigns, platform development, or VIP program construction rather than surrendering it to a tax authority.

Consider the numbers: that same operation would pay between €300,000 and €700,000 in taxes under a European-regulated structure. Under Anjouan, every cent of that stays in the business.

Speed to market delivers a further competitive edge. A well-prepared Anjouan application is typically processed in six-to-eight weeks — not faster than Tobique’s average of three-to-six weeks, but a world apart from the three-to-six months typical of Curacao’s new LOK regime.

Rikk lawyers have compared the Year 1 Total Cost of Ownership of the Anjouan Gaming License against the leading alternative jurisdictions. The figures reflect 2026 market data.

The Year 1 saving compared to the new Curacao LOK framework can exceed €95,000 — capital that funds real business growth. Compared to Tobique, the gap narrows but remains significant (€49,000 vs €25,000).

That said, the cost advantage must be weighed against one critical operational reality: Anjouan-registered entities are not apostille-certified, which substantially limits access to traditional fiat banking. Operators who have built their payment infrastructure around cryptocurrency gateways and specialist EMIs will find the model highly workable. Those reliant on mainstream card processing will encounter material friction. So Rikk lawyers don’t recommend Anjouan as a jurisdiction for an entity incorporation, better consider Costa Rica or Belize or some other option.

The Anjouan application process is engineered for velocity. With a complete and well-prepared documentation package, operators can realistically expect license issuance within six to eight weeks. At Rikk, we have completed Anjouan licensing engagements in under 1.5 months even for complex corporate structures. The process follows five clear stages:

UBO transparency warrants particular attention. The ABGB mandates full disclosure of all individuals holding 3% or more in the ownership structure. Opaque shell arrangements designed to conceal beneficial owners are systematically rejected during due diligence. Any subsequent changes in ownership exceeding the 3% threshold must be reported promptly to maintain license validity.

The Anjouan framework offers meaningful structural flexibility. While the standard route involves incorporating an IBC directly on the island, the regulator also accepts offshore corporate entities from other recognized jurisdictions.

This flexibility opens the door to intelligent multi-jurisdictional structures. Experienced operators typically implement a two-tier model:

The separation of licensing and payment functions serves a practical purpose: it insulates the license-holding entity from the banking friction that disproportionately affects Anjouan-registered structures, while preserving the cost and speed advantages of the Anjouan license itself.

One structural constraint warrants advance planning: Anjouan corporate documents are not issued with apostille certification. This significantly constrains the ability to open traditional bank accounts in most jurisdictions. For operators with a fiat-first payment strategy, this must be addressed at the corporate structuring stage, not after the license is in hand.

Despite its positioning as a streamlined offshore jurisdiction, Anjouan maintains substantive technical requirements that operators should not underestimate. Technical compliance is the infrastructure upon which PSP relationships and player trust are built.

RNG Certification and Game Fairness
For operators offering proprietary game content, Random Number Generator (RNG) certification is mandatory. The regulator requires testing certificates from internationally accredited independent laboratories, including:

• Gaming Laboratories International (GLI)
• iTechLabs
• BMM Testlabs
• eCOGRA

These laboratories conduct rigorous analysis of RNG algorithms, game mathematics, and Return to Player (RTP) percentages to verify statistical randomness and resistance to manipulation. Third-party game content sourced via API must come from suppliers holding either a direct Anjouan B2B license or a recognized B2B Recognition Certificate — a standard introduced in July 2025 that materially strengthened supply chain integrity.

Operators deploying games from a certified B2B platform provider are not required to obtain separate RNG certification; the supplier’s existing certification covers the deployed content.

AML/KYC and Compliance Policy Framework
The following documents are mandatory for B2C operators:

• Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Policy: Customer verification procedures, transaction monitoring rules, and suspicious activity reporting with 48-hour incident report timelines.
• Know Your Customer (KYC) Policy: Identity verification, enhanced due diligence thresholds, and ongoing monitoring for high-risk profiles.
• Responsible Gaming Policy: Mandatory age verification, self-exclusion tools, configurable deposit limits, and staff training requirements.
• Privacy Policy: Data collection, storage, and protection practices aligned with applicable data protection standards.
• Terms and Conditions: Governing player accounts, game rules, and transparent dispute resolution processes.

Website compliance requirements include:

• Visible display of the Anjouan license seal with functional verification link
• Comprehensive footer section including license details and responsible gaming resources
• Functional complaint handling and player dispute mechanism
• Transparent contact information
• Clear display of all policies and terms

Cybersecurity standards require enterprise-grade infrastructure: TLS/SSL encryption across all web traffic, hashed and salted credential storage, DDoS mitigation and Web Application Firewall deployment, routine backup and tested disaster recovery procedures, and strict access management logging across all system layers.

Securing the Anjouan license marks the beginning, not the conclusion, of the compliance journey. Several operational realities shape the day-to-day experience of running an Anjouan-licensed operation.

Banking and Payment Processing
This is where Anjouan’s most significant operational constraint becomes tangible in practice. Traditional Tier-1 banking institutions are likely to decline onboarding requests from Anjouan-licensed entities, citing the constitutional uncertainty around the jurisdiction’s regulatory standing (addressed in the following section). Operators should architect their payment infrastructure accordingly:

• Cryptocurrency Gateways: Bitcoin, Ethereum, stablecoins, and high-throughput networks like Solana are fully permitted. Blockchain settlement eliminates weekend blackout periods, correspondent bank delays, and chargeback exposure — a material operational advantage for crypto-native platforms.
• Specialist EMIs: High-risk Electronic Money Institutions with iGaming experience typically onboard Anjouan-licensed operators, though with higher transaction fees and enhanced due diligence requirements than mainstream providers.
• Payment Agents: Establishing a Cyprus-based payment processing entity (see Business Structuring section) can meaningfully improve access to card processing and bank transfer rails for operators requiring fiat capability.