Anjouan Gaming License: Fees, Requirements and the Question of Standing
What an Anjouan gaming license costs on the October 2026 schedule, what it requires, which markets it excludes, and what the Comoros central bank said about it.
David SisvadzeCEO, GamblingLicense.ge
An Anjouan gaming license is issued by Anjouan Gaming, the internet gaming regulator of the Autonomous Island of Anjouan in the Union of the Comoros, under the authority of the Anjouan Offshore Finance Authority. This guide covers the October 2026 fees, the requirements, excluded markets and timeline, what the Central Bank of the Comoros said about the authority, and how the license compares to Georgia's international permit.
Who Issues the Anjouan Gaming License
Anjouan Gaming describes itself as the designated regulatory authority for internet gaming under the laws of the Autonomous Island of Anjouan, operating under the authority of the Anjouan Offshore Finance Authority (AOFA), with an Anjouan Gaming Board for oversight. Licenses are issued under the Computer Gaming Licensing Act 007 of 2005, and the license conditions of October 2026 carry the name of ANJ Management Ltd. as administrator.
The license types page lists one B2C license for casino, sports betting, poker, bingo, prediction markets and crypto gaming, with no split by vertical. Suppliers hold B2B service provider licenses, and a B2C licensee must show that its platform and content suppliers hold an Anjouan B2B license or a recognition certificate (conditions, s.14).
What an Anjouan Gaming License Costs
The regulator's fee page charges the same figure to issue a license and to renew it, as of October 2026.
| Fee | B2C license | B2B license |
|---|---|---|
| License issuance, one-time | €17,828 | €17,828 |
| Annual renewal | €17,828 | €17,828 |
| Additional domain, per licensing cycle | €500 each | Not applicable |
| Application fee, non-refundable | Not published | Not published |
The application fee must accompany the application, but its amount is not on the fee page, and the regulator says its schedules are subject to periodic review. The license buys a year at a time, so five years of government fees for one domain come to €89,140 before the application fee.
Requirements for an Anjouan Gaming License
The regulator sets no local company, director or office rule. Its required documents page asks for the certificate of incorporation and the articles without naming a jurisdiction, so a company formed elsewhere can hold the license. Curaçao asks for a local company, a local director and a Tier IV server on the island, and that is where Curaçao vs Anjouan differs most after the fee.
The license conditions, version 5 of October 2026, set the people and systems around the license. The licensee appoints a key person and a compliance officer, who also acts as money laundering reporting officer, with a deputy, and uses an alternative dispute resolution provider approved by AOFA (s.7, 8 and 10). There is no published minimum capital, but licensees must keep the financial ratios AOFA notifies from time to time (s.6).
The rules moved again in autumn 2026. A beneficial ownership section added in September 2026 applies at once to new applicants and at renewal to existing licensees (s.15), and the final edition of the KYC and AML Code, dated 13 October 2026, is in effect (s.1).
Crypto Under an Anjouan License
Crypto is allowed. The license types page lists cryptocurrency-enabled gaming and blockchain gaming as permitted activities, and the conditions require enhanced monitoring and blockchain tracing for virtual asset transactions, plus disclosure of B2B settlements made in virtual assets (s.4, 7 and 14).
Curaçao, by contrast, limits stakes to virtual currencies tradable on internationally licensed exchanges and bars the licensee from exchanging crypto for fiat itself, and terms like these are what separate one crypto casino license from another.
Excluded Territories Under an Anjouan License
Section 2 of the conditions says licensees must not knowingly target residents of excluded territories, and gives a list it calls non-exhaustive.
- Named countries: Australia, Austria, the Comoros, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.
- Sanctioned jurisdictions and those on the FATF call-for-action list, which in June 2026 named North Korea, Iran and Myanmar.
- Any territory AOFA designates later.
- GEO-IP blocking is expected for all of them.
A market missing from the list can still prohibit unlicensed operators under its own law, so the restricted countries for an Anjouan operator run longer than section 2.
How Long an Anjouan License Takes
The regulator publishes no processing time. Its application process page says processing times depend on how complete the documents are. Industry estimates published in 2026 mostly run from two to seven weeks after a complete application and payment, with one outlier at three to four months.
- Form or choose the licensing company, in Anjouan or elsewhere.
- Appoint the key person, the compliance officer and deputy, and the dispute resolution provider.
- Collect the incorporation documents, the beneficial ownership details and the policies the KYC and AML Code requires.
- Submit the application with the non-refundable application fee.
- Pay the €17,828 issuance fee.
- Confirm each supplier's B2B license or recognition certificate and set up GEO-IP blocking before launch.
- Renew every year at €17,828.
What the Central Bank of the Comoros Said in December 2025
On 8 December 2025 the Banque Centrale des Comores published a communiqué, signed by Governor Younoussa Imani, warning against entities that issue or operate with fraudulent approvals. It names the Anjouan Offshore Finance Authority and Anjouan Corporate Services, alongside authorities on Mohéli and Grande Comore, and says these structures are not recognised in the Union of the Comoros and have no legal authority to issue approvals or licenses for financial or banking activities.
The communiqué also says certain activities are not authorised on Comorian territory and that no license for them has been issued, and it names online gambling and sports betting among them. It warns against doing business with these structures or with entities operating under their approvals or licenses, and says any claim to operate under a Comorian approval not issued by the central bank is fraudulent and exposes those making it to prosecution.
Anjouan Gaming states that it operates under AOFA's authority, so the warning covers the licenses it issues. The communiqué is addressed to anyone considering business with these structures, and that includes the banks, payment providers and suppliers an Anjouan licensee depends on.
Who an Anjouan License Suits
- Budget-first launches: €17,828 a year is the lowest government fee among the licenses we compare.
- Groups incorporated elsewhere: no local company, director or office is required.
- Crypto products: crypto-enabled and blockchain gaming are permitted activities.
- Multi-vertical brands: one B2C license covers casino, sports betting, poker, bingo and prediction markets.
- Fast starts: industry estimates put the process in weeks rather than months.
It is the wrong tool in these cases:
- Operators whose banks, payment providers or game suppliers will not onboard an Anjouan licensee
- Businesses aiming at the UK, the US, Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Austria or Australia
- Plans that need a multi-year term, since the license renews every year
Anjouan Compared to Georgia's International Permit
Georgia's international permits, created by Law No. 1822 of 25 June 2026, license online casino, slots and sports betting for players outside Georgia, run by a company based in Tbilisi. The table sets them against Anjouan on standing, cost, tax, term and substance, the same points we use to compare gambling licenses across eight jurisdictions.
| Point | Anjouan | Georgia, international permit |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | Anjouan Gaming, under AOFA's authority | Revenue Service of the Ministry of Finance |
| Standing | Central Bank of the Comoros: AOFA not recognised (8 Dec 2025) | Permits created by national law |
| Verticals | One B2C license for all games | Separate permit for casino, slots and betting |
| Government fees | €17,828 to issue, €17,828 a year | €34,400 a year per permit; year one adds an audit of up to €12,000 and integration of up to €34,400 |
| Charge on revenue | None published | 5% of foreign players' GGR plus 1% monitoring fee |
| Profit tax | Where the company is incorporated | None on retained profit; 5% on dividends paid abroad unless a treaty lowers it |
| Term | 1 year | 5 years |
| Company and base | Any accepted jurisdiction | Georgian company, management address in Georgia |
| Servers | No rule in the conditions | Server infrastructure in Georgia |
| Minimum capital | None published; financial ratios as notified | None |
| Crypto stakes | Allowed | No lawful route today |
| Time to license | No published standard; weeks, industry estimate | 2–4 months; decision within 20 days or deemed issued |
Standing is the sharpest difference. Georgia's permits come from national law and are issued by the Revenue Service of the Ministry of Finance, a state tax authority, which must decide within 20 days of a complete filing or the permit is deemed issued. Each permit runs for five years against Anjouan's yearly renewal, and the law sets no minimum share capital.
On payments, Georgia's 2021 ban on gambling payments, in Article 13¹ of the Payments Law, applies only to foreign gambling companies and to payments by Georgian residents, so it does not stop Georgian banks and payment providers serving a Georgian-licensed operator. Georgian-licensed operators already take Visa, Mastercard and American Express deposits, with channels at TBC Bank, Bank of Georgia and Liberty Bank. Visa's rules require an online gambling merchant to hold a license and its acquirer to take merchants from its own country, which a Georgian permit fits with the license, the company and a Georgian acquirer in one country.
Tax falls on revenue rather than profit, at 5% of foreign players' gross gaming revenue plus the 1% monitoring fee, with no corporate tax on profit kept in the company. Dividends paid abroad carry 5% withholding unless one of Georgia's 58 tax treaties lowers it, to 0% under several, including those with Malta, Cyprus and the UAE.
The costs are set per vertical, at about €34,400 a year per permit, and the 5% tax and 1% fee are owed in loss-making months too. A sportsbook moving across takes the international sports betting permit and posts a prize fund security of about €3,400 by bank guarantee or insurance. Georgian citizens may not play, and the permit offers no lawful crypto deposit route today, which matters to an Anjouan operator built on crypto.
Anjouan Gaming License FAQ
How much does an Anjouan gaming license cost?
€17,828 to issue and €17,828 a year to renew, for B2C and B2B licenses alike, on the October 2026 schedule. Additional domains cost €500 each per licensing cycle, and a non-refundable application fee, whose amount is not published, goes in with the application.
How long does an Anjouan license take?
The regulator publishes no processing time and says it depends on how complete the documents are. Industry estimates mostly run from two to seven weeks after a complete application and payment.
Is the Anjouan gaming license recognised by the Comoros?
The Central Bank of the Comoros said on 8 December 2025 that the Anjouan Offshore Finance Authority is not recognised in the Union of the Comoros and that no online gambling license has been issued there. Anjouan Gaming states that it operates under that authority and continues to publish license conditions and a public register.
Do I need a company in Anjouan?
No. The regulator asks for a certificate of incorporation and articles without naming a jurisdiction, and sets no local director or office rule. The licensee still needs a key person, a compliance officer with a deputy and an approved dispute resolution provider.
Which countries are restricted under an Anjouan license?
The conditions name Australia, Austria, the Comoros, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States, plus sanctioned and FATF call-for-action jurisdictions and any territory AOFA designates. The list is non-exhaustive, and GEO-IP blocking is expected.
Does Anjouan charge gaming tax?
The regulator publishes no gaming tax; its schedule charges fixed fees only. Profit is taxed under the rules of the country where the licensed company is incorporated, which does not have to be Anjouan.
How do I check an Anjouan gaming license?
Use the verify a license page on Anjouan Gaming's website, which searches its public register. Check the domain as well as the company name, since additional domains are licensed and paid for one by one.