Anjouan Gaming says licences do not give universal authorisation
Anjouan Gaming has made a statement in which it said that the Anjouan Internet Gaming Licence “is not, and has never been presented as a universal authorisation to operate in every country in the world”. In the statement, which was posted on LinkedIn, it said that it had seen commentary concerning Anjouan licences and the legal status of the licensing framework.
Licence coverage
It stated that Anjouan Internet Gaming Licences are issued under the applicable framework of the Autonomous Island of Anjouan. It continued that the licensing programme “is administered through the Anjouan Gaming structure, under the authority of the relevant Anjouan public bodies responsible for the offshore financial and gaming framework”.
Anjouan Gaming remarked that it welcomes informed industry discussion, adding that “licensing, regulatory standards, market access, player protection, AML, technical compliance, and responsible gambling obligations should be discussed seriously”.
“It is important, however, to distinguish between several separate issues,” it commented, as it listed a number of points, including the legal and administrative basis under which a licence is issued, the scope of activities covered by the licence, the ongoing obligations imposed on licensees, the compliance status of a particular operator, and the responsibility of each operator to comply with the laws of the markets in which it operates, advertises, accepts players, or processes payments.
“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 stated. “No licensing authority can exempt an operator from local law in jurisdictions where local authorisation is required.”
It said that the Anjouan framework provides for the licensing of qualifying internet gaming operators and service providers, and that “licensees are subject to licence conditions, due diligence, AML/KYC obligations, responsible gaming requirements, technical and platform standards, complaint-handling obligations, website approval requirements, public verification mechanisms, and enforcement action, including supervision or revocation when appropriate”.
Anjouan Gaming calls for caution in commentary
Anjouan Gaming commented that constructive criticism and comparative analysis between different licensing jurisdictions is welcome, as it added that different operators would have different regulatory needs depending on factors such as business models, markets, risk profiles, payment relationships, suppliers, and long-term strategies.
“What is not helpful,” it remarked, “is commentary that conflates offshore licensing with local market authorisation, treats operator misconduct as proof against an entire framework, or makes broad allegations without reference to the applicable legal framework, licence conditions, public register, verification tools, or compliance obligations.”
It did not make mention of any specific instances of such commentary in its statement, though discussions regarding offshore licensing as well as illegal markets have particularly ramped up during the World Cup season.
Anjouan Gaming said that it “remains committed to the development of a practical, transparent, and commercially accessible internet gaming licensing framework, while making clear that licensees remain responsible for lawful conduct in their chosen markets”.
It concluded by saying that stakeholders should consult with Anjouan Gaming channels and the public register to verify licence status or approved domains, as well as any other related public information.
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