Honest answer: Comoros does not have a domestic gambling culture in the usual sense. It is an overwhelmingly Muslim country (~98% of the population, with Sunni Islam named as the state religion in the constitution), gambling (maysir) is religiously prohibited, and the FATF 2024 report records that gambling is prohibited under the Comorian Penal Code. There are no significant local casinos, betting shops or lotteries for Comorians. The only reason “Comoros” appears in global gambling at all is the island of Anjouan, which EXPORTS offshore igaming licences to foreign operators - a business, not a local pastime.

History and context

Comoros is a small Indian Ocean archipelago of roughly 850,000-900,000 people across three main islands, with a long-standing Sunni Muslim identity. Its economy has historically relied on agriculture (vanilla, cloves, ylang-ylang) and limited tourism, per Britannica. Political instability - including a history of coups and a rotating presidency between the islands - has held back tourism development, which is one reason there is no resort-casino sector of the kind seen in some other island nations.

Where Comoros became a name in the gambling world is through Anjouan, an autonomous island that from the mid-2000s built an OFFSHORE licensing regime for remote gambling (its Computer Gaming Licensing Act dates to 2005). Importantly, this was designed for internationally-facing operators, not to serve a domestic audience.

We will not invent local player statistics, because credible data on a domestic Comorian gambling market simply does not exist - there is no lawful market to measure. Any gambling by residents would occur on foreign offshore online platforms (typically sports betting and online casino/slots), not through licensed local venues. This is a small, information-limited market, and we flag that limitation honestly rather than fabricating “most popular games” numbers.

Attitudes

Attitudes are strongly shaped by religion. With Sunni Islam named as the state religion and basis of national identity, and roughly 98% of the population Muslim, gambling is widely regarded as forbidden. Social and moral disapproval, rather than regulation of a leisure activity, defines the local stance. This is the honest cultural backdrop: not a suppressed appetite for betting, but a society where gambling is broadly outside accepted norms.

The offshore angle, kept honest

It is worth repeating that the Anjouan licence is a regulatory export, not a window into Comorian gambling habits. The Banque Centrale des Comores has publicly disputed the legal validity of the offshore authorities that issue it. So when you see “licensed in Comoros/Anjouan” on an international gambling site, that reflects a contested offshore licensing business, not a thriving domestic gambling scene.

Safer gambling

There is no Comoros-specific national gambling helpline that we could identify, consistent with the absence of a regulated domestic market. If gambling is causing harm to you or someone you know, seek local medical or community support and use any self-exclusion and deposit-limit tools available. Play only if you are 18+ and where it is lawful for you. Gambling can be addictive - please gamble responsibly.

Sources

18+ only. Gambling involves risk and can be addictive. Please gamble responsibly and only where it is legal for you to do so.