Anjouan gaming licence: who issues it, how to verify one and why it can't protect Australians

Anjouan gaming licence: what it is

An Anjouan gaming licence is an internet gaming licence issued under the laws of the Autonomous Island of Anjouan, one of the islands of the Union of the Comoros off East Africa. It appears, alongside Curaçao, in the footers of many offshore casinos and sportsbooks that Australians come across. The licence regime is run by Anjouan Gaming, which operates under the authority of the Anjouan Offshore Financial Authority (AOFA).

The website the licence seals point to, anjouangaming.org, redirects to anjouangaming.com, which describes itself as the designated regulatory authority for internet gaming licences under Anjouan law.

What the licence covers

Anjouan issues licences in two categories. A business-to-consumer (B2C) licence is for operators offering gaming directly to players, and covers online casinos, sports betting, poker and other games set out in the licence conditions. A business-to-business (B2B) licence is for critical suppliers providing platform or technical services to licensed operators.

The published fee schedule gives a sense of scale:

Application fees are non-refundable. The per-domain fee is worth noting: one licence can cover many websites, so the same company may run several brands, each on its own domain, under a single Anjouan licence.

Licensed operators must comply with anti-money laundering rules, responsible gaming obligations and their licence conditions. The authority can suspend or revoke licences and publishes those actions; in February 2026 it reported suspending one licence pending investigation.

How to verify an Anjouan licence

Anjouan Gaming runs a public register with a Verify a Licence search. To check a casino:

1. Get the details from the site. Look in the footer and terms for the operating company and a licence number. Numbers we have seen in operators' terms take the form ALSI- followed by digits and letters.
2. Search the register. Enter the licence number, company name or domain. A result should show the registered name, licence number, licence type (B2C or B2B) and current status.
3. Check the status definitions. The register publishes what each status means, such as suspended or revoked.
4. Click the seal. Under the seal policy, a licensed operator's seal must link directly to its verification page in the public register, must not be altered, and must be removed immediately if the licence is suspended, revoked or expires.

The register comes with its own caveats: data "is updated periodically", and verification "does not constitute an endorsement of the licence holder's services". For time-sensitive checks, the authority says to contact it directly. Our casino licence check guide explains the same steps for other regulators.

Complaints: you are mostly on your own

This is the most important thing to understand about an Anjouan licence. The authority says plainly that it "does not handle, mediate, or adjudicate player complaints" and "will not correspond with players on the merits of individual complaints". Its published process is:

Some complaints are outside the process altogether, including those from players in excluded territories, and everything must be in English. If an operator's terms say Australia is an excluded territory, an Australian player's complaint may not be reviewed at all. Our guide on how to complain about an online casino explains what an ADR body can and cannot do.

What an Anjouan licence means for Australians

An Anjouan licence regulates the operator in Anjouan. It does not give an operator permission to offer online pokies or casino games in Australia, which the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 prohibits. For an Australian player, that means:

• no Australian regulator, minimum return or dispute body
• the risk of an ACMA block, after which ACMA warns you may not be able to reach your account
• terms that set the operator's own dispute process; one operator's terms we reviewed send disputes to mediation and then arbitration in Anjouan
• no BetStop coverage, because BetStop only covers licensed Australian wagering providers

If you have been using offshore sites to get around your own limits, our self-exclusion guide lists the help that works in Australia.

Anjouan compared with other licences

On player disputes, Anjouan and Curaçao are alike: a Curacao gaming licence also leaves individual disputes to operators and the courts. By contrast, the Kahnawake gaming licence and Malta Gaming Authority licence both come with a regulator-run complaint channel. For the Australian side of the law, see gambling laws in Australia.

Related reading

Guide Curacao licence Curaçao is the licence most often seen on offshore casinos that target Australians. Its system was rebuilt in 2024 and its regulator's portal went offline in 2026. Here is how it works and what it does not cover. Read more Guide Kahnawake licence The Kahnawake Gaming Commission has regulated online gambling from a Mohawk territory near Montreal since 1999 and publishes its complaint results. Here is how its licence works and what it means for Australians. Read more Guide Malta licence An MGA licence comes from a well-known European regulator, which is why fake MGA claims are common. Here is how to check one, what the MGA can do for players, and why it does not make a casino legal in Australia. Read more Guide NT Many of Australia's online bookmakers are licensed in the Northern Territory, not where their customers live. Here is what an NT bookmaker licence involves, who regulates it, and the Territory's pokies and casino rules. Read more Guide Is it legal? Online pokies and casino games cannot legally be offered to people in Australia. Here is what the law says, who it targets, what is allowed and what it means for you. Read more Guide ACMA blocking ACMA has had 1,822 illegal gambling and affiliate websites blocked since November 2019. Here is how the blocking works, where the official list is, and what a block means if you have an account with a site on it. Read more