TLDR Comoros says a gambling licensing network using Anjouan’s name is operating without authorization. Nearly 1,500 businesses on Anjouan’s public register hold the disputed licenses. The government is seeking British help and working with international police and financial intelligence agencies. Researchers found the 2005 gambling law cited by the licensing regime was unsigned and unstamped. A company linked to London’s Sorsky family saw its cash rise from £13,130 to £614,826 in 2025.
The government of Comoros says an offshore gambling licensing network using the name of Anjouan, one of its islands, is operating without permission. It is asking the United Kingdom for help with an investigation, according to The Guardian.
Comoros is also working with international police and financial intelligence agencies. The government says it is preparing legal action against those involved.
The dispute covers licenses held by nearly 1,500 businesses listed on Anjouan’s public register. Comoros is challenging the legal status of all of them.
How Anjouan’s Licensing System Began
Comoros is an island nation off Africa’s east coast, between Mozambique and Madagascar. Anjouan is one of its three main islands.
Anjouan declared independence in 1997. It later rejoined the union under a deal that gave the islands a large amount of self-rule. During its time apart, the island built an offshore financial services industry.
Anjouan Licensing Services started issuing gambling licenses in May 2023. This came as Curaçao and the Philippines tightened their own gambling rules.
The licensing regime says its authority comes from the Computer Gaming Licensing Act of 2005. The national government disputes whether the Anjouan Offshore Finance Authority, the body said to oversee the system, still has legal standing.
In December 2025, the Comoros central bank called the Anjouan Offshore Finance Authority and Anjouan Corporate Services “fictitious entities.” It said they were