Comoros Seeks UK Help Over Anjouan Gambling Licenses as 1,500 Businesses Face Scrutiny

Comoros wants British authorities to help investigate an offshore gambling licensing network operating under the Anjouan name without authorization, according to The Guardian. The dispute matters for high-risk payments because the public register tied to the regime lists close to 1,500 businesses.

1. The Comoros government is also working with international police and financial intelligence agencies as it prepares possible legal action against the people behind the alleged operation.
2. The controversy centers on Anjouan Licensing Services, which began issuing gambling licenses in May 2023, at a time when other offshore gambling jurisdictions, including Curaçao and the Philippines, were tightening regulatory restrictions.
3. Comoros says the regime has no proper legal basis. Anjouan claimed independence from Comoros in 1997, later rejoined the country under an arrangement that gave the islands considerable autonomy, and built an offshore financial services industry during that period. Today’s licensing system says it is based on the Computer Gaming Licensing Act of 2005, but the Comoros government disputes the legitimacy of the Anjouan Offshore Finance Authority (AOFA), the body said to oversee it.
4. Last December, the central bank in Comoros publicly denounced AOFA and Anjouan Corporate Services (ACS), calling them “fictitious entities” issuing unauthorized financial licenses. The warning was aimed primarily at banking activities. Former Comoros attorney-general Azad Mzé later told Australia’s ABC that Anjouan Licensing Services, which issues gambling licenses, was also an “illegal entity.”
5. A September 2025 study by researchers Steve Menary and Marko Begović added another problem: they found that the publicly available version of the alleged 2005 law lacked an official signature or stamp and appeared on the licensing organization’s own website. Anjouan Gaming, which presents itself as the island’s official gambling regulator, says its licenses are valid and cites an independent legal opinion, but has not publicly named the law firm or released the opinion itself.

British connections are now part of the story. Australia’s ABC previously reported ties between ACS and British businessmen, including members of London’s Sorsky family. The Guardian later reported that ACS Global Custodian, a company linked to the family, increased its cash holdings during 2025 from GBP 13,130 ($17,524) to GBP 614,826 ($820,594), with the source of the additional funds not established.