Crypto Casino Licences Explained: Curaçao, Anjouan and How to Verify One
Updated 2026-10-27 · by BoosterHand Editorial
Almost every crypto casino shows a licence badge in its footer. The badge alone proves nothing: what matters is who issued the licence, whether it is still valid, and whether it belongs to the company you are actually paying. This guide explains the two licences you will see most often and how to check them yourself.
Why the licence matters for you as a player
A licence is the only lever you have if a casino refuses to pay. It decides:
- Who supervises the operator and can sanction it.
- Whether a formal complaint route exists, including independent dispute resolution.
- Which rules apply to KYC, responsible gambling and fair games.
That is why the licence is the heaviest criterion in the BoosterHand Score (25%), together with withdrawals.
Curaçao: the new LOK regime
For years Curaçao licences were “sub-licences” issued under four private master licences. That model ended when the National Ordinance on Games of Chance (LOK) entered into force on 24 December 2024. Since then:
- Licences are issued directly by the Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA), a government regulator, in the operator’s own name.
- Licence numbers usually follow the format OGL/2024/XXXX/XXXX (for example, Stake shows OGL/2024/1451/0918).
- Licensed sites display a CGA seal. Clicking it should open a validation page on cert.cga.cw with the company name, licence number and status.
- Under the CGA’s player complaints guidelines (in force since mid-2025), operators must run a free complaint process, answer most complaints within four weeks, resolve responsible-gambling cases within five business days, and offer escalation to an independent ADR (alternative dispute resolution) provider paid by the operator. You have up to six months after the disputed event to complain.
The CGA does not resolve individual disputes itself; it uses complaint data to supervise operators. Note too that in October 2026 the CGA moved to an interim online portal after a security incident, so a validation page can occasionally be slow or unavailable — try again later rather than assuming the licence is fake.
Anjouan: cheap, fast — and now disputed
Anjouan is an autonomous island of the Union of Comoros. Since 2023 it has issued online gaming licences quickly and cheaply, which made it popular with new crypto casinos. Licence numbers typically start with ALSI- (BC.Game shows ALSI-202410011-FI1, Gamdom ALSI-152406043-FI).
Treat Anjouan licences with extra caution:
- Supervision and player complaint routes are far less documented than under the CGA.
- In October 2026 the Comoros national government publicly disputed the legal status of licences issued in Anjouan’s name, called the licensing bodies unauthorised and asked the UK for help with an investigation. Anjouan’s licensing body maintains the licences are valid.
Until this is resolved, we show Anjouan licences as declared (the casino claims it, we could not confirm it independently), which lowers the licence criterion in the score.
Curaçao vs Anjouan at a glance
| Curaçao (CGA, LOK) | Anjouan | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | Government regulator (CGA) | Island authority / licensing agent |
| Typical number | OGL/2024/…/… | ALSI-… |
| Public validation | CGA seal → cert.cga.cw | Varies; often a page on the licensor’s site |
| Complaint rules | Published guidelines + ADR | Not clearly published |
| Status in 2026 | New regime, still maturing | Legal status disputed by Comoros government |
How to verify a licence in two minutes
- Find the licence text in the footer or terms: regulator, licence number, and the company name.
- Click the seal. It must open a page on the regulator’s own domain (cert.cga.cw for Curaçao), not an image or a page on the casino’s domain.
- Match three things: the domain you are on, the company name in the casino’s terms, and the company on the validation page.
- Check the status — “active” or “valid”, not “expired”, “suspended” or “pending”.
- Read the terms for who you contract with. If the terms name a different company from the licence holder, ask support why.
If any step fails, that is a red flag. It does not prove fraud, but it removes your main protection.
How BoosterHand rates licence status
| Status | What it means | Effect on the licence criterion |
|---|---|---|
| Verified | We opened the regulator’s validation page and it matches the operator | Full weight |
| Declared | The casino states a licence, but we could not confirm it on a regulator page | 75% |
| Reported | Only third-party sources mention the licence | 50% |
| Unknown / expired | No licence found, or it lapsed | 0 |
Today BitStarz and Rollbit are verified in our rating; the other casinos are declared. We recheck licences when we update a review, and the date of the last check is shown in every fact table.
Key takeaways
- A badge is not a licence — the validation page is.
- Curaçao licences are now issued by a government regulator with published complaint rules.
- Anjouan licences are cheap and fast, and their legal status is currently disputed.
- Always match the domain, company and licence number before you deposit.
Next: learn how KYC rules differ between licences, or go straight to how to withdraw safely.
18+. This guide is general information, not financial or legal advice. Check whether online gambling is legal where you live.