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OAKLAND PARK, Fla. (Gambling911.com) - A blockbuster report appearing in the Guardian Monday claims that the Anjouan gaming license may not be what it seems.
Many of the world's leading "grey market" brands are licensed here. So, too, are a number of low visibility crypto casinos many of us have never even heard of.
In fact, The Guardian reports that the Anjouan Gaming Authority's public register contains nearly 1,500 licence holders, many involving cryptocurrency casinos.
They claim that the licensing authority is not based on the tiny island in the Indian Ocean but instead is actually located in London.
More specially, The Guardian tries to draw links to a London-based business called the Sherm Group and the the Sorsky family, the latter of whom denies selling gaming licenses.
Rob Davies of The Guardian writes that the island’s name seems to have been co-opted by a small cadre of mostly British businessmen flogging unofficial “licences” for banking, cryptocurrency trading and, it appears, gambling, all from the safety of a leafy London suburb 5,000 miles away.
Anjouan is an autonomous volcanic island in the Comoro Islands in the southwestern Indian Ocean, part of the Union of the Comoros. The Comoros authorities contend that these licensing bodies are illegitimate.
The Comoros government's reported request for British law-enforcement assistance was also alluded to in the article.
Take away the Sorsky family and Sherm Group component and it is true that Anjouan itself could still be licensing online gambling companies, even if the federal government of Comoros objects.
The central legal question is whether Anjouan's autonomous government has the constitutional authority to issue gambling licences independently of the Comoros national government.
Such questions have long been asked of other gambling jurisdictions since the advent of online gambling.
Consider that Canada only recently started regulating online sports betting, yet the Kahnawake, a First Nations reserve on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec, Canada, across from Montreal, was one of the first online gambling regulatory bodies to issue licenses way back in 2000. Sports Interaction, an Irish-owned sports betting company at the time that set up offshore in the Dominican Republic prior to its arrival in Kahnawake, was the first to obtain a license there.
The Guardian report also points to Curacao's licensing regime as a reason why so many gaming companies have now paid the $19,000 licensing fee to the Anjouan Gaming Authority.
Their investigation suggests the significantly lower licensing costs when compared to the approximately £80,000 for Curaçao, reduced transparency concerning ownership and the fewer regulatory requirements as well as a simply application process.
The Guardian quotes an industry source explaining that tighter Curaçao regulations have encouraged operators to seek alternatives.
And indeed, Curacao may have operated similar to that of the Anjouan Gaming Authority back in the day.
Gambling911.com met up with the "head" of what was then the primary source of licensing way back in 2000. Pinnacle Sports was already operating there along side what were some of the more prominent web gambling companies, including Game Day Sports and VIP Sports. Some of the figures we met up with were certainly on the fringes. The girlfriend of one official was running late as she had a high school essay due the next day. We have little doubt the Curacao gaming sector has matured over time. But when we visited, the operators had to be based on the island. That does not appear to be a requirement these days.
It's important to note that those gaming companies licensed by the Anjouan Gaming Authority have not been accused of any wrongdoing.
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FIFA-Linked Prediction Market Accused of Artificial Trading Volume
The Wall Street Journal reported October 17 that approximately $108 million of ADI Predictstreet's $167 million in trading volume involved wallets appearing to be linked to the platform. This is an allegation based on transaction analysis, not a final regulatory finding.
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NFL
Philadelphia Eagles Odds Take Hit as Jalen Hurts Out for Rest of Season
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NBA Moves to Ban Certain Player Prop Bets
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NFL
Commanders at 49ers Betting Action
The San Francisco 49ers were seeing the heaviest lopsided action in tonight's game versus the Washington Commanders. It's a tough one to figure out as the line hasn't moved off the -7.5 San Francisco all week ANYWHERE.
Betting action: Commanders vs. 49ers
DraftKings betting splits, Monday afternoon, October 19
Market 49ers Commanders
Spread -7.5 +7.5
Moneyline -455 +350
Spread bets 71% 29%
Spread handle 60% 40%
Moneyline bets 94% 6%
Moneyline handle 71% 29%
- Chris Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher
