Anjouan gambling licence: what it means for Canadian players

Anjouan has become the default licence for new crypto casinos. Of the casino reviews published on Canada Gamblers, more hold an Anjouan licence than any other, and that includes several of the sites we rank at the top. It also includes brands we would not touch. This page explains who issues the licence, what it actually requires, how to check one in two minutes and what it does and does not do for a player in Canada.

What the Anjouan licence is

Anjouan is one of the islands that make up the Union of the Comoros, off the east coast of Africa. Online gambling licences are issued by Anjouan Gaming, which describes itself as the internet gaming regulatory authority of the Autonomous Island of Anjouan. It operates under the Anjouan Offshore Finance Authority, with the Anjouan Gaming Board providing supervisory oversight. Casinos usually cite the island's Computer Gaming Licensing Act of 2005 in their terms.

There are two licence types: B2C, for casinos and sportsbooks that take players, and B2B, for suppliers. A licence number starts with ALSI, for example ALSI-202410011-FI1 on BC.Game. The public register holds about 1,300 entries.

For a short definition, see our glossary entry on the Anjouan licence.

How licensing works now

Anjouan Gaming says applicants go through due diligence, AML and KYC checks, and sanctions and politically exposed person screening, and that licences are refused when concerns come up. Each licence carries an expiry date, and the register shows it. Licensed sites must display an interactive seal that links to the register entry and to the complaint function.

The regulator has also been clear about what the licence is not. In its own words, it is "not, and has never been presented as, a universal authorisation to operate in every country". An Anjouan licence lets a casino operate from Anjouan. It does not make the casino legal in a country that requires its own licence, and Canada's provinces do.

The legal dispute over Anjouan licensing

You should know this before relying on the seal. In December 2025 the Comoros central bank described the Anjouan Offshore Finance Authority as a "fictitious" entity issuing unauthorised financial licences. A former Comoros attorney general called the island's licensing services an "illegal entity", and in October 2026 the Comoros government asked British authorities for help investigating the offshore licensing network. Anjouan Gaming maintains that its licences are valid and points to an independent legal opinion, which it has not published.

None of this has changed how the register works day to day, and the casinos holding these licences keep operating. What it does change is how much weight the licence can carry on its own. It is a starting point for checking a casino, not proof that a government will stand behind you.

Player protection and complaints

Anjouan Gaming does not handle, mediate or rule on player complaints. The route is:

1. Complain to the casino first, through the complaint link in its Anjouan seal. Complaints sent through other channels may not be accepted.
2. Mind the deadlines. Disputes about a game result must be raised within 14 days of the session. Account disputes (payments, suspensions, bonuses) within 30 days.
3. The casino has 30 days to investigate and reply.
4. Escalate to ADR if it is not resolved. Every licensee must use an approved alternative dispute resolution provider, and the operator pays for it. The approved list is EGIS ADR, Axion ADR, iGaming ADR and CADRE B.V.

Everything must be in English. If a complaint shows a breach of licence conditions, the regulator says it may use it in its supervision, but that is separate from your dispute.

How to check an Anjouan licence

1. Copy the ALSI number, company name and domain from the casino footer or terms.
2. Open the Verify a Licence page on anjouangaming.com yourself rather than clicking the seal. You can search by number, company or domain.
3. Check the status. Anjouan Gaming uses Active, Suspended, Revoked and Expired.
4. Check the expiry date as well as the label. In our licence check of 95 crypto casinos, four showed Anjouan licences past their expiry date and two showed numbers that were not on the register at all.
5. Make sure the domain you are playing on is the one on the register. A mirror site that is not listed is not covered.

What it means for Canadians

An Anjouan licence is an offshore licence. It has no standing under Canada's Criminal Code, which lets provinces conduct and manage gambling. Ontario runs a regulated market through iGaming Ontario and the AGCO, and Alberta opened its own regulated market in July 2026. A casino with only an Anjouan licence is not registered in either. Elsewhere in Canada, the provincial lottery corporation's site is the only provincially run online option. Our guide to whether online gambling is legal in Canada covers how that plays out by province.

In practice: no Canadian body will take your complaint, ADR runs in English under the casino's terms, and if your province appears in the casino's restricted list, it can void your winnings. Read that clause before you deposit, and do not use a VPN to get around it.

Casinos we review with an Anjouan licence

20 published reviews on Canada Gamblers list this licence. Each name links to the full review.

Our verdict

Anjouan is where the best of the current crypto casinos have gone. Rainbet, our top-ranked site, holds an Anjouan licence, as do Thrill, Cybet and Gamdom, and all four sit in the top ten of our ranking on payouts, terms and support. The licence does not make them good; the operators do. The same register also holds brands that let their licence lapse, print numbers the register does not recognise or vanish within a year.

So we rate Anjouan 3.5 out of 5: the strongest offshore option for crypto players today, held back by a complaints route that ends at private ADR and an unresolved fight with the Comoros government over its legal basis. Judge each Anjouan casino on its own record, and use the register every time.

Sources

• Anjouan Gaming: home and regulator overview
• Anjouan Gaming: Verify a Licence
• Anjouan Gaming: Licence status definitions
• Anjouan Gaming: Player complaint process
• Anjouan Gaming: Authorized ADR providers
• Focus Gaming News: Anjouan regulator responds to criticism
• Casino.org: Comoros calls Anjouan licensing bodies fictitious (19 October 2026)
• Criminal Code of Canada, section 207