When it comes to licensed and secure offshore online casinos, there are two regulatory bodies that you will often find as part of the conversation – Anjouan Gaming and the Curacao Gaming Control Board.
Both agencies have license registers with hundreds, if not thousands, of online casinos that players have come to love over the years. While there are many other licensing bodies you can look into, these two stand out from the competition because of lower fees, crypto support, a broad reach, and recent updates that include top-notch security measures. Still, there are some differences between the requirements both licenses mandate for their platforms.
In today’s article, we will tell you all about the features of Anjouan online casinos and how they vary from Curacao online casinos. So, stick around if you want to learn more.
What Is Anjouan Online Casino Licensing?
Anjouan Gaming is the regulatory body that offers gambling licenses to online casinos that agree to establish their companies on this island. The licenses are not exclusive to online casino games and cover bingo, lotteries, and sports betting on traditional, esports, cyber sports, etc.
The most interesting feature of Anjouan licenses is that a company can earn one quickly and easily. Establishing an Anjouan company can take only 24 hours, and after submitting all the documents, you can get your gambling license in two to four weeks. The fees are quite low, but you get international coverage with crypto support.
While we can discuss the benefits of these licenses, it’s also important to note that Anjouan Gaming is not the most trustworthy regulatory body out there. It is quite new, and its security requirements should be updated to fit industry standards. Still, many companies choose this over other licenses because of its flexibility and affordability.
Pros and Cons of Anjouan Online Casinos
What Is Curacao Online Casino Licensing?
The Curacao Gaming Control Board is a better-known licensing body that operates out of Curacao. Unlike Anjouan, the licensing process at this regulatory body is a bit more complicated. But that was not always the case – the regulatory body recently developed a new framework to make online gambling safer for players using its online casinos.
Thus, earning a license requires detailed audits and a Curacao-based company with at least one physical location in the country. To earn the license, the online casino must also adhere to strict regulations regarding player protection and overall security. Nevertheless, the casinos get broad coverage for multiple types of gambling activities.
What separates this regulatory body from Anjouan is that instead of offering a single license, companies can opt for a master license for the main company and take out sublicenses for each casino they operate. While a bit outdated, this is a good option for companies looking for such a model, as not all regulatory bodies offer it.
Pros and Cons of Curacao Online Casinos
Key Differences Between Anjouan and Curacao
While Anjouan and Curacao online casinos are similar in many ways, they also have some significant differences that can help you determine whether one or the other is a better option for you. Now that we’ve covered the basics of both types of casinos, we can also go into more detail on the key differences between the licenses. Let’s get into it:
Agency Reputation
Both Anjouan and Curacao are reputable agencies that you can rely on when it comes to online gambling. However, Curacao has a slightly better reputation than Anjouan, having been on the market for longer and having more reliable player protection measures. Anjouan, however, has recently changed many of its requirements for online casinos to ensure that players are better protected, so you can rest assured that with both options, you can be protected at all times.
Licensing Costs
If you’ve read some of the other guides we have published on our website, you can learn that Anjouan is the regulatory body with the lowest costs for licensing and renewal of a license. If a company applies for a new license, they will have to pay around €17,000, while the annual renewal fee is much lower. As for Curacao online casinos, the licensing costs are still low but more significant than those of Anjouan, making them not as suitable for platforms on a limited budget.
Application Process
Like the licensing costs, the application process is a bit more complicated for casinos looking to get a Curacao gambling license. The auditing process is a bit more complicated in this case, while the platform must adhere to more strict standards. On the other hand, Anjouan casinos need to share only limited information with the regulatory body. Another shortcoming of Curacao licenses is that the process is much longer than for Anjouan casinos, taking roughly around 2 months to review all documents. On the other hand, Anjouan Gaming takes only two to four weeks to decide whether a platform deserves a license.
Crypto Support
One of the things that Anjouan and Curacao have in common is that both offer support for crypto use and blockchain technology. You can find cryptocurrencies at both types of online casinos, along with blockchain technology for fair play games. However, Anjouan is the regulatory body that first accepted cryptocurrency, making it easier for licensed casinos to complete the integration. While allowing cryptocurrencies, Curacao Casinos have more limited support and more challenging integration.
Target Market
Anjouan and Curacao online casinos target largely the same markets. As offshore casinos, both target the international market and can offer services in various jurisdictions worldwide. The lists of restricted countries for both types of licenses include roughly the same countries, which are the UK, the US, Canada, Germany, Spain, and others. However, Anjouan is the license more suitable for casinos looking to target up-and-coming markets that aren’t allowed for other licenses, like Curacao.
Player Protection
Player protection is where Curacao shines, as Anjouan has more limited protection measures at best. You will usually find data encryption protocols, fairplay games, age verification, and basic responsible gambling tools with the latter. There aren’t any mandatory KYC checks for players, and the AML policies are also limited. As for Curacao casinos, they always include data encryption, fair play games, AML policies, KYC checks, responsible gambling measures, detailed audits, and serious complaint handling. This is the case as of recently, as the Curacao Gambling Control Board added these more robust player protection measures only in their most recent update.
Compliance Requirements
The compliance requirements are slightly more serious for Curacao casinos, thanks to the most recent update that mandates the above mentioned security features and checks. Anjouan is still a regulatory body with limited compliance requirements, making it less secure and not as suitable for players looking to join some of the most secure casinos worldwide.
Trust Among Players
Both regulatory bodies have earned the trust of players worldwide, but we can say that Anjouan’s reputation is slightly lower than that of Curacao. This is because it’s quite new and has yet to establish itself on the market. While reliable, it’s not as strict in the measures it sets for providers. As for Curacao, it’s been a part of the iGaming market for nearly three decades, and over that time, it has proved to be reliable. Thus, more players are inclined to join Curacao casinos over Anjouan casinos.
FAQs
Can players from the US play at Anjouan and Curacao licensed casinos?
- The US is usually on the list of restricted countries for Anjouan and Curacao online casinos, as each state has its own laws and regulations regarding online gambling, along with its own licensing body. While these bodies can provide additional licensing for these online casinos, they are usually unavailable in most US jurisdictions.
Where can I verify the Anjouan and Curacao licenses?
- Both Anjouan Gaming and the Curacao Gaming Control Board have license registers available online for all players to review. There, you can search for casinos by name and owner and review their licensing number and the date by which their current license is valid. Thus, you can use these registers to verify any license issues by these two regulatory bodies.
Do Anjouan and Curacao licenses mandate responsible gambling measures?
- With the most recent updates to the laws and regulations set by these two regulatory bodies, licensed online casinos must include some responsible gambling measures, but not all are mandatory. For example, you can often find responsible gambling limits for deposits, wagers, losses, or sessions, but you might not be able to self-exclude.
Do trusted payment providers collaborate with Anjouan and Curacao casinos?
- All Anjouan and Curacao online casinos collaborate with trusted payment providers, including card providers, e-wallets, bank transfers, prepaid cards, and various cryptocurrencies. Both licenses allow crypto transactions through trusted stablecoins and other options that players can freely choose from.
How do I know if Anjouan and Curacao casinos are trustworthy?
- To ensure that an Anjouan or Curacao is trustworthy, besides verifying the online gambling license, you should also check the other security protocols. They should include data encryption protocols, AML policies, responsible gambling measures, secure payments, and more.