Casinos claim Anjouan as home, but the Comoros island is fighting back, and a UK family linked to the network denies selling licences.
Anjouan, a tiny volcanic island in the Union of Comoros, is pushing back against an offshore gambling network that has been using its name. Online casinos claim to be based there, even though the island is known for very different exports.
Anjouan, called Nzwani locally, sits in the Indian Ocean between Mozambique and Madagascar. Most people have barely heard of it, let alone seen it. Its economy leans on ylang-ylang oil and vanilla, which makes the idea of it as a hub for glossy international gambling brands a striking one.
The network has been linked to a London-based family of property investors. They deny selling licences to the casinos that say they operate from Anjouan. The allegations and the denials leave open a big question: who is really benefiting when a small African jurisdiction becomes the legal address for a global industry?
The story highlights a wider vulnerability. Smaller African nations can be used as convenient flags for offshore business, with the reputational risk landing at home while the profits are made elsewhere. For a sports and betting-saturated continent, where gambling brands are everywhere, that matters.
For now, Anjouan is fighting to take back its name. The outcome will be watched by anyone who cares about how African territories are protected from financial exploitation.
