Vanuatu vs Anjouan Gaming Licence 2026: Which to Choose

If you’re shopping for a cheap, crypto-friendly offshore gaming licence in 2026, two names keep surfacing: Vanuatu and Anjouan. They sit in the same lane — low fees, no local substance, crypto expressly in scope, broad international reach — and on a quick scan they look interchangeable. They aren’t. The differences are narrow but they shape your budget and your renewal calendar for years, and picking the wrong one costs money you didn’t need to spend.

In our practice we license operators on both, so this is a genuine head-to-head, not a pitch for one side. Here is how they actually differ, and how to decide.

The two regimes at a glance

Vanuatu’s Interactive Gaming Licence is issued by the Vanuatu Financial Services Commission (VFSC) under the Interactive Gaming Act [Cap 261]. Anjouan’s licence comes from the Anjouan Betting & Gaming Board (ABGB). Both fold casino, betting, poker and crypto gambling into a single authorisation — but the commercial terms diverge in ways worth mapping side by side.

Cost and term: Vanuatu wins on the number

On fees, Vanuatu is the cheaper licence. Its annual fee is €10,000 — with a €5,000 application fee and two domains included — against Anjouan’s €17,828 a year. That is a meaningful gap on the recurring line, and it compounds. Vanuatu also grants a 15-year term, one of the longest available anywhere, so you’re not re-filing and re-budgeting every twelve months the way an annually renewed permit demands. For a lean startup watching its burn, that combination of a low fee and a long, low-maintenance term is hard to beat.

There is one asterisk. Vanuatu levies a small 1% tax on gross gaming revenue, where Anjouan is a clean 0% GGR. For most emerging operators the fee saving dwarfs that 1%, but at very high turnover the tax line starts to matter, and the arithmetic can shift. It’s worth running your own projected GGR through both models rather than assuming the cheaper fee always wins — a €7,828 annual fee advantage buys a lot of headroom before a 1% levy erodes it, but the crossover point is real and specific to your numbers. For the full breakdown of what a Vanuatu file is made of, our Vanuatu gaming licence guide walks through the numbers.

Framework and coverage: established name versus long-dated permit

Where Anjouan earns its higher fee is reach and recognition. It is an established offshore name with a large base of licence holders — roughly 1,400 on its public register — and a July 2025 revision that aligned the regime with the FATF Travel Rule for virtual assets. That public register is a genuine asset: players and payment partners can verify a licence for themselves, which smooths some banking and PSP conversations. Anjouan’s positioning as a fast, credible alternative to Curaçao is covered in depth in Anjouan as a viable alternative to Curaçao.

Vanuatu counters with a formal, VFSC-regulated Pacific credential and that standout 15-year validity. Both licences support a broad multi-vertical, crypto-inclusive product — casino, sportsbook, poker and lottery-style games all sit under one authorisation in each case. The difference is less about what you can offer and more about the brand behind the badge and how long it lasts before renewal.

Speed and structure: close, with a slight edge to Anjouan

On timeline the two are near neighbours. Anjouan typically issues in four to eight weeks; Vanuatu’s VFSC decides on a complete application in about two months. If getting live a couple of weeks sooner is genuinely decisive for you, Anjouan has the slight edge — but in practice the real determinant is how clean and complete your file is, not the jurisdiction. A well-prepared Vanuatu application beats a scrappy Anjouan one every time.

Structurally they are close but not identical. Anjouan uses a Costa Rica applicant company — no local island incorporation needed — while Vanuatu is filed through a suitable corporate applicant with no local Vanuatu presence required. Neither imposes a minimum capital requirement. On banking the picture is the same for both: settlement runs through an EMI or neobank account, and any gambling payment agent is incorporated in Cyprus, because mainstream processors like Stripe, PayPal and Wise all prohibit gambling. Neither permit is banked as broadly as a heavier onshore regime, but both are workable for a well-structured operator.

How to choose

Strip it back and the call is clear. Pick Vanuatu if the lowest annual fee is your priority, if you value a long 15-year term with minimal renewal friction, and if a small 1% GGR is an acceptable trade for the fee saving. Pick Anjouan if speed to launch matters most, if you want an established offshore name with a public register your partners can check, and if a clean 0% GGR suits your turnover. Both are lean, fast, crypto-friendly first licences — the decision usually comes down to budget horizon versus recognition and speed.

Two operators with near-identical products can land on different answers here, and that’s exactly as it should be. A bootstrapped crypto casino planning a multi-year run tends to favour Vanuatu’s long term and low fee; a team racing a marketing window or trading on an already-recognised badge often leans Anjouan. There is no universally “better” permit between the two — only the one that fits your cost model, your launch timing and the markets you intend to serve.

If you’re still weighing the two, that’s the conversation we have every week. Compare the pillars directly — the Vanuatu gambling licence service and the Anjouan gambling licence service — then book a free consultation and we’ll match the licence to your budget, product mix and target markets.

This article is for general informational purposes only and is not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional before acting.