Honest answer: online gambling is not legally available to people inside Comoros. Comoros is an overwhelmingly Muslim nation (~98% of the population, with Sunni Islam as the constitutional state religion) where gambling is religiously prohibited, and the FATF 2024 Mutual Evaluation Report records that gambling is prohibited under the Comorian Penal Code. The name “Comoros” is known in the industry only because one autonomous island, Anjouan, EXPORTS offshore igaming licences to foreign operators. Those licences are marketed to authorise businesses serving players in other countries; they do not create a legal domestic betting market, and the Comoros central bank has said the offshore authorities behind them have no legal validity.

For residents, the practical and legal answer is no. The FATF Mutual Evaluation Report on Comoros (May 2024) records that gambling is prohibited under the Comorian Penal Code, and it did not assess a domestic gambling sector because there is no lawful one to assess. This aligns with the country’s religious context: Comoros is roughly 98% Muslim, with Sunni Islam named as the state religion, and gambling (maysir) is prohibited in Islam. We say this plainly and respectfully because it is central to understanding the market: there is no licensed local casino or betting industry aimed at Comorians.

Then why is “Comoros” everywhere in online gambling?

Because of Anjouan. Anjouan is an autonomous island within the Union of the Comoros that issues OFFSHORE online-gambling licences to international operators through the Anjouan Betting and Gaming Board (ABGB) and Anjouan Offshore Finance Authority (AOFA), grounded in an island-level statute (the Computer Gaming Licensing Act 2005). This is a licence-issuing hub, similar in concept to how jurisdictions like Curacao operate - a product sold to overseas igaming brands, not a domestic gambling regime.

Crucially, this offshore role is contested at home. As reported by Finance Magnates, the Banque Centrale des Comores (BCC) issued a public communique (June 2022) stating that offshore authorities including AOFA have no legal validity, on the basis that banking and financial legislation fall under the exclusive competence of the Union’s central bank rather than the individual islands.

Licensed vs offshore: what it means for a player

There is no “locally licensed” operator for Comorians to choose. Any online play by a resident would be on a foreign offshore site. An Anjouan-licensed brand you see abroad is regulated by an island-level body whose standing is disputed by its own national central bank, so consumer-protection recourse can be weak. We would never tell you an Anjouan licence alone is a strong safety guarantee.

Payments and crypto

The only official currency is the Comorian franc (KMF), pegged to the euro (about 491.97 KMF per EUR) under a longstanding monetary agreement with France. Cryptocurrency is not legal tender in Comoros and is not specifically regulated for domestic payments; the BCC has not endorsed crypto for everyday use. Offshore Anjouan crypto licences exist, but they target foreign-facing businesses, not local spending. Because there is no lawful domestic gambling market, there are no local licensed deposit rails for betting.

Winnings tax

There is no published personal gambling-winnings tax in Comoros, consistent with domestic gambling being prohibited. Offshore Anjouan licensees are marketed as benefiting from no Gross Gaming Revenue tax on international operations - but that is a feature of the licensing export, not evidence of a taxed local betting sector.

Safer gambling

We could not identify a Comoros-specific national gambling helpline, which is unsurprising given there is no regulated domestic market. If gambling is affecting you or someone you know, seek local medical or community support, and use tools such as self-exclusion and deposit limits offered by any platform. Play only if you are 18+ and where it is lawful for you to do so. 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.