Where Anjouan is
Anjouan, also called Ndzuwani, is one of the islands of the Union of the Comoros, in the Indian Ocean between Mozambique and Madagascar. Like the other islands of the union, it has a degree of autonomy, and it has used that autonomy to run an offshore finance centre that, among other things, licenses online gaming operators.
It is a long way from India, but the ocean it sits in gives it a certain geographic kinship with players here, and some India-facing sites have been quick to adopt it.
Why the licence suddenly appeared everywhere
The timing is the clue. When Curaçao began tightening its regime in 2023 and 2024 (our Curaçao guide explains the reform), costs and requirements there went up and applications took longer. Some operators went through the new process; others looked for an alternative. Anjouan offered one: a licence that could be obtained comparatively quickly and cheaply, that permitted operations in many markets, and that covered casino and betting under one approval.
So when you see an Anjouan seal, you are usually looking at a business decision made in the last couple of years, often by a newer operator or one that moved its licence.
What the licence asks of an operator
Anjouan’s framework requires a licensed operator to be registered as a company there, to carry out customer identity checks, to maintain anti-money laundering procedures and to use games from tested sources. On paper, those headings resemble what most regulators ask. The differences are in the depth of supervision, the resources behind enforcement and the visibility of what happens when an operator falls short, and on each of those there is simply less public track record to judge from.
That isn’t an accusation. It is a statement about age: a regulator that became widely used only recently has fewer published decisions, fewer visible sanctions and fewer player complaint outcomes on record than one that has operated for decades.
| Question | Anjouan | Curaçao (after reform) | Malta (MGA) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed and cost of licensing | Quick and affordable | Slower, costlier than before | Slow and expensive |
| Public track record | Short | Long, reformed recently | Long |
| Visible player complaint route | Limited | Exists via the authority | Established |
| Typical operators | Newer or relocated sites | Most India-facing sites | European-focused operators |
What you can realistically expect
If everything goes well, an Anjouan-licensed casino works like any other: you deposit, play and withdraw, and the licence never enters your mind. The licence matters only when something goes wrong, and that is where your expectations should be modest. A dispute about a withheld withdrawal is most likely to be settled by the operator’s own support and its willingness to protect its reputation, rather than by a regulator stepping in.
In practice, that means your own habits carry more weight. Verify your identity before you need a payout, withdraw regularly rather than letting a balance grow, and keep screenshots of the bonus terms you accepted.
A licence is a floor, not a rating
It’s tempting to rank licences like hotel stars. That’s not quite how they work. A licence sets minimum rules; operators can and do run their businesses well above the minimum, or right at it. Two casinos under the same licence can behave very differently towards players. So treat the licence as one input among several, alongside how clearly the terms are written, how the site handles identity checks and how it answers a simple question from support. Our safe and legit casino guide lists the checks we run.
The Indian side
As with any foreign licence, Anjouan’s approval says nothing about Indian law. It governs the operator, not your position as a player in India. For that, read our legal status guide and the page on state gambling laws. And for how Anjouan fits among all the licences you’ll see, start at the licence guides hub.
What happens to your money if a site closes
The hardest scenario for any player is a casino that simply stops operating with balances still in accounts. Under the strictest regulators, rules on safeguarding player money are designed for exactly that moment. Under a newer, lighter regime, there is less published detail about how such a case would be handled, and less history to learn from. This is the practical reason to keep an Anjouan-licensed balance modest: not because the site is likely to vanish, but because the safety net beneath it is less tested.
The same logic applies to bonuses. A large bonus balance you cannot yet withdraw is money you have no claim to if the site changes its terms or closes, so the smaller and simpler the offer, the less exposed you are.
How a licence change looks from the outside
Some sites you know may have switched their footer from one licence to another in the last two years. That is not in itself a warning; operators move licences for cost and administrative reasons. What matters is whether the terms, the company name and the complaint route were updated at the same time. A footer showing one regulator while the terms still name another is a sign of a sloppy move, and sloppiness in paperwork tends to show up in payouts too.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Anjouan?
Anjouan is one of the islands of the Union of the Comoros, in the Indian Ocean between Mozambique and Madagascar. It licenses online gaming through its offshore finance framework.
Why do so many casinos have an Anjouan licence now?
Many operators adopted it in 2023 and 2024, when Curaçao’s reform raised costs and requirements. Anjouan offered a quicker and cheaper licence covering many markets.
Is an Anjouan licence safe for players?
It sets basic requirements such as identity checks and anti-money laundering procedures, but it has a shorter public track record and a less visible complaint route than older regulators.
How is Anjouan different from Curaçao?
Anjouan is quicker and cheaper for operators and newer as a common licence. Curaçao has a longer history and, since its reform, a single regulator with a complaint route.
What should I do before depositing at an Anjouan-licensed casino?
Check that the seal opens a real verification page, match the company to the terms, verify your identity early and test the site with a small withdrawal.