Anjouan iGaming License: advantages, coverage, costs and all you need to know

The Anjouan iGaming license may not be the most familiar one to operators, but it started making the headlines in the last couple of years. With Curacao, Malta and other big players in the market making changes to their regulations, Anjouan became one of the main alternatives to operators who want to expand their presence in the global scenario.

In this article, therefore, we will explain the advantages, international coverage, costs and much more about the Anjouan iGaming license.

Anjouan iGaming license: an overview

Historically known as Ndzuwan, Anjouan is a volcanic island in the Indian Ocean that is part of the Union of the Comoros Islands. Centuries ago, the country was well known to sailors and became a provisioning stop for ships trading between Africa, Asia, India, and Arabic nations before the construction of the Suez Canal.

Anjouan was colonized by France in 1886 and declared its independence in 1975. The country’s economy relies primarily on agriculture, offering products such as vanilla and cinnamon. Recently, however, with the objective of diversifying its economy, Anjouan entered the iGaming industry. In 2005, the region launched itself into the licensing era with the enactment of the Computer Gaming Licensing Act 007.

Currently, there are two key regulatory bodies of gambling in Anjouan:

• Anjouan Offshore Finance Authority (AOFA), which primarily oversees the broader financial services sector in Anjouan, including gaming, and ensures compliance with anti-money laundering (AML) best practices.
• Anjouan Licensing Services Inc. (ALSI), which took over the administration of gaming licenses in May 2023 and focuses on improving the efficiency of the licensing process, enhancing legal compliance and supporting the operational needs of gaming businesses.

Currently, the Anjouan iGaming license is issued on an annual basis and requires renewal each year. The country grants standard individual B2B or B2C licenses directly. In April 2024, Anjouan’s Gaming Control website stated that there were 19 licensees.

Advantages of the Anjouan iGaming License

The main advantages of having an Anjouan iGaming license are:

• International Coverage: the license offers broad international reach. The excluded territories are limited and include Australia, Austria, Comoros Islands, France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, United Kingdom, USA and all FATF Blacklisted countries.

• Costs: with a cost of approximately EUR 17,000, the fees of the license are significantly lower than those of Curaçao or Malta.
• Tax Advantages: Anjouan does not levy a tax on Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR), which offers substantial savings to operators.
• Issuance Speed: thanks to fewer bureaucratic hurdles, obtaining an Anjouan license  is much faster than in many other jurisdictions, taking as little as 2 to 4 weeks.
• High Standards: Anjouan’s license requires AML compliance, anti-fraud measures, and player protection, which aligns with the industry’s trends towards stricter regulations.
• Cryptocurrency Friendliness: Anjouan’s license permits legal and licensed crypto operations, which broadens the potential market reach.
• Broad Gambling Coverage: Anjouan’s license encompasses a wide range of gambling activities, including sports betting and all types of casino games under one umbrella. With no need for additional permissions, operators can expand freely.
• Diverse Business Applications: Anjouan’s license is applicable to both B2C, which are operators and bookmakers that offers services to players directly, and B2B, which are software and game content suppliers.

How to obtain an Anjouan’s iGaming License?

Before applying for an Anjouan iGaming license, be sure to:

• Gather all the necessary documents for Know Your Customer (KYC) and application, as all applicants will have to demonstrate their business’s legality and transparency.
• Ensure that your business is prepared for the licensing process and compliance checks.
• Know that every key person in your company (owner, director, ultimate beneficial owner) will undergo rigorous KYC and Due Diligence evaluations.
• Licenses will not be issued to individuals under 18, those with relevant criminal records within the last three years, or those assumed to be of bad character.

The documents to apply for the license are:

• Certified copy of a valid passport.
• Recent utility bill.
• Police clearance certificate.
• CV/Resume.
• Original banker’s reference (relationship older than 2 years).
• Professional letter of reference from an accountant or lawyer (relationship older than 2 years).
• Detailed gaming content descriptions, including copies of agreements and/or third-party RNG testing certificates.
• Proof of web domain ownership.
• Copies of Terms & Conditions, covering underage and responsible gaming policies and player KYC policies.

It’s important to say that all documents must be in English or accompanied by a certified English translation dated within the last 90 days.

After gathering all the documents, send your application through Anjouan Licensing Services Inc.(ALSI), together with the application fee. The agency will then make a comprehensive review of your business and background checks of key individuals. This stage can include interviews to discuss business plans. If the review is successful, Anjouan will issue the license in three to four weeks and you will be able to begin your operations.

Fees and Taxes

As we said before, Anjouan has no tax rate on Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) and no VAT on total revenue or corporate income tax. The cost to obtain a license is around EUR 17,000 and there is an annual fee of EUR 2,000 for a Compliance Officer or Key Person Authorisation. Also, you will have to renew the certificate every year at a cost of approximately EUR 13,300.

The license covers up to two web addresses. If you want additional addresses, you will have to pay an annual fee of EUR 500 per address.

In conclusion, if you want to start an iGaming business, the first step is obtaining a license. And, currently, there are many licenses to choose from. Operators can choose to obtain multiple licenses, which include the ones from Malta and Curacao, for instance. Anjoaun’s iGaming license, however, might be a good choice for you to join the trusted international gambling jurisdictions. The landscape of licenses is in constant change, so it’s important to stay tuned on the latest updates – and at inplaySoft we will keep you posted on the most important and significant changes in the iGaming world.