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Offshore gambling licences explained: Anjouan, Curaçao, Kahnawake, Tobique and Nevis

By Brian LaddEditor, guides Fact-checked by Paul Lecavelier Updated

Scroll to the bottom of almost any crypto casino that takes Canadian players and you will find a licence seal. Outside Ontario and Alberta's regulated markets, that seal nearly always comes from one of five places: Anjouan, Curaçao, Kahnawake, Tobique or Nevis. They are not equal, and two of them are regularly mistaken for Canadian licences. This page compares them and links to a full page on each.

The five licences at a glance

Licence Issuer Jurisdiction Public register Complaints route Our rating
Anjouan Anjouan Gaming, under the Anjouan Offshore Finance Authority Autonomous Island of Anjouan, Comoros Yes: number, company, domain, status, expiry Casino, then approved ADR paid by the operator 3.5 / 5
Curaçao Curaçao Gaming Authority Curaçao, Kingdom of the Netherlands Yes: certificate pages with status and approved domains Casino (set deadlines), then ADR paid by the operator 3 / 5
Kahnawake Kahnawake Gaming Commission Mohawk Territory of Kahnawà:ke, near Montreal Partial: operator and URL only Casino, then the Commission by email or form 2.5 / 5
Tobique Tobique Gaming Commission Tobique First Nation, New Brunswick Partial: company, expiry, type; no numbers or domains Only through the Shield on the casino's site 2 / 5
Nevis Nevis Online Gaming Authority Nevis, St. Kitts and Nevis Yes: number, status, expiry, URLs (about 15 licences) Casino, then ADR; regulator does not intervene 2 / 5

How we rate them

Our rating looks at three things from a Canadian player's side: how easy it is to confirm a licence is real and covers the site you are on, what happens when a withdrawal goes wrong, and the quality of the casinos that actually hold it.

  • Anjouan scores best because that is where the strongest crypto casinos are today. Rainbet, Thrill, Cybet and Gamdom all hold one. It also has weak brands, and the Comoros government disputes its legal basis, which keeps it well short of a top score.
  • Curaçao has the longest history and detailed complaint rules, but its reformed system still has many operators on provisional licences, and its direction depends on pressure from the Netherlands.
  • Kahnawake has a real complaint desk and a long record, but no checkable permit numbers and no recognition under Canadian law. It is the one most people near Montreal wrongly treat as Canadian.
  • Tobique is run through private licensing agents, its register cannot tie a licence to a domain, and complaints only go through the casino's own Shield.
  • Nevis has a clear register but is too new and too small to judge, and its regulator does not step into disputes.

Offshore is not provincial

Canada's Criminal Code lets each province conduct and manage gambling, and it keeps online casino games inside that provincial scheme. That is why the two regulated markets are provincial:

  • Ontario: iGaming Ontario conducts and manages the market and the AGCO regulates it. Only sites registered with iGaming Ontario can serve Ontario players. See our guide to Ontario online casinos and the glossary entry on iGaming Ontario.
  • Alberta: the regulated market opened on 13 July 2026, with AGLC as regulator and the Alberta iGaming Corporation handling operator agreements.
  • Other provinces: the provincial lottery corporation's site is the provincially run option.

None of the five licences above counts in any province. Kahnawake and Tobique are First Nation licences, not provincial ones, and an Ontario court rejected the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke's challenge to iGaming Ontario in May 2024. Our guide to whether online gambling is legal in Canada explains how this plays out where you live.

How to check any offshore licence

  1. Note the regulator, licence number, company and domain from the casino footer or terms.
  2. Type the regulator's address yourself instead of trusting the seal.
  3. Match the number, the company and the domain, and check the expiry date.
  4. Read the casino's restricted territories. If your province is listed, winnings can be voided, and a VPN usually breaches the terms (see our VPN casinos guide).
  5. Screenshot the footer and the register entry on the day you deposit.

We ran this check on 95 crypto casinos. Roughly one in eight had a problem only the register showed. The results are in our crypto casino licence check.

Our view

A licence tells you where to complain, not whether you will be paid. The casinos we rank highest earn their place on payouts, terms and support, and they hold different licences. Use the licence as a first filter: walk away from a casino with no licence or a number the register does not know, then judge the rest on how they pay.

Sources

Key terms

Anjouan licence
A gambling licence issued on Anjouan, an autonomous island of the Comoros, popular with crypto casinos and subject to criticism.
Curaçao licence
A gambling licence issued by the Curaçao Gaming Authority, used by many crypto casinos; reformed under a new law in force since December 2024.
iGaming Ontario
The provincial agency that conducts and manages Ontario's regulated online gambling market through agreements with private operators.
KYC (know your customer)
Identity checks a casino performs to confirm who you are, usually by collecting ID, a selfie and proof of address.

Frequently asked questions

What is an offshore gambling licence?
A licence issued by a regulator outside the Canadian provincial system, such as Anjouan, Curaçao, Kahnawake, Tobique or Nevis. It lets a casino operate from that jurisdiction but does not make it legal or regulated in any Canadian province.
Which offshore gambling licence is best?
We rate Anjouan highest at 3.5 out of 5 because the strongest crypto casinos hold it, followed by Curaçao at 3. Kahnawake, Tobique and Nevis rate lower. The operator's own record matters more than the licence.
Are Kahnawake and Tobique Canadian licences?
No. They are issued by First Nation gaming commissions, not by a province. Under the Criminal Code, provinces conduct and manage online gambling, so these work like offshore licences for players.
Can an offshore licence help me get a withdrawal paid?
Only up to a point. Most routes send you to the casino first and then to private ADR, and none involves a Canadian regulator. Keep screenshots and complete KYC early.
Do Ontario or Alberta recognise offshore licences?
No. Ontario players should use sites registered with iGaming Ontario, and Alberta players sites registered in Alberta's regulated market, which opened on 13 July 2026.