Anjouan Gaming rejects claims that its licences are meant for global gambling use

The regulator for Anjouan, an autonomous island in the Union of the Comoros, has pushed back on criticism of its licensing regime and said its Internet Gaming Licences are not a substitute for local authorisation. For PSPs, acquirers, and operators, the practical point is straightforward: an offshore licence may support the business, but it does not override local law in the markets where the traffic comes from.

1. Anjouan Gaming said in a LinkedIn statement that an “Anjouan Internet Gaming Licence is not, and has never been presented as, a universal authorisation to operate in every country in the world.” It added that no licensing authority can exempt an operator from local law where local authorisation is required.
2. The regulator was responding to what it called “public commentary” about its framework. The post did not name the commentators, but Anjouan has often come up in discussions about black market, grey market and offshore gambling, including criticism that an Anjouan licence can be presented with a veneer of universality.
3. Anjouan defended the way it issues licences, saying applicants face due diligence, AML and KYC checks, technical standards, responsible gambling requirements, and complaint handling obligations. It also said corporate reviews, key person assessments and financial vetting are required, and that applicants are screened against sanctions lists, PEP databases, and adverse media; licences are denied if concerns arise.
4. The regulator also drew a line between offshore licensing and local market access, saying different operators have different regulatory needs depending on their business model, markets, risk profile, payment relationships, suppliers, and long-term strategy. It said licensees remain responsible for lawful conduct in their chosen markets.
5. Anjouan Gaming’s public register lists more than 1,300 licences. The island itself is estimated to have a population of 360,000 to 380,000 people, which is a useful reminder of why counterparties tend to care less about the size of the jurisdiction and more about how the licence is positioned in practice.

For high-risk payment teams, this is the usual tension in offshore gaming: a licence can help with onboarding and banking conversations, but it does not erase the need to check where the operator is actually active, what local authorisations are required, and whether the licence is being marketed as something broader than the regulator says it is.