UK Family Linked to Offshore Gambling Licence Controversy

Published: 19 October 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online

A small island in the Indian Ocean is at the centre of an escalating controversy over offshore online gambling, following allegations that businesses connected to a London-based family have helped establish a licensing pathway used by casinos operating outside established regulatory systems. The government of the Comoros, which includes the island of Anjouan, is seeking international assistance as it attempts to challenge what officials describe as an unauthorised licensing operation.

The dispute has drawn attention to the relationship between offshore gambling businesses, corporate service providers and the international financial system. It has also raised concerns about the protection of vulnerable gamblers, particularly in countries where operators must comply with strict licensing requirements and responsible gambling safeguards.

Anjouan, also known locally as Nzwani, is a volcanic island in the Union of the Comoros, situated in the Indian Ocean between Mozambique and Madagascar. Its traditional exports include vanilla and ylang-ylang oil, but its name has increasingly appeared in connection with online gambling companies offering services to international customers.

The island has become associated with a growing number of online casinos claiming to operate under Anjouan gaming licences. Some of these operators have faced allegations of accepting customers from countries where they do not hold the required authorisation, while others have been accused of withholding winnings or targeting people vulnerable to gambling addiction.

An investigation into the licensing arrangements has identified connections between a London-based family business and companies involved in corporate services associated with Anjouan. However, the businesses and individuals concerned have disputed aspects of the allegations, including claims about their involvement in selling gambling licences.

The Comoros government has made clear that it does not recognise the disputed licensing arrangement as a legitimate extension of its regulatory authority. A spokesperson for the country’s central bank described the activities as illegal and said the unauthorised use of the country’s name was creating serious concerns about its efforts to strengthen protections against money laundering and terrorist financing.

The government is preparing legal action within the country and has also sought assistance from British authorities. Officials say international cooperation involving financial intelligence and law enforcement will be important in determining who is responsible for the disputed activities and how the licensing network operates.

At the centre of the investigation is the Sherm Group, a London-based family business operating from Finchley. The company has a property portfolio reportedly worth more than £25 million and presents itself as providing services including asset finance and private aviation arrangements.

Its managing director, Elliot Sorsky, has attracted attention because of his family’s connections to another company, ACS Global Custodian, which has been associated with Anjouan Corporate Services. The latter advertises assistance to businesses seeking to establish operations through Anjouan-related licensing arrangements.

Anjouan Corporate Services has offered prospective clients guidance on obtaining licences for financial and other activities, with advertised fees of approximately £19,000. Such services can be attractive to online gambling businesses seeking a regulatory framework that may make them appear more credible to customers, financial institutions and commercial partners.

Industry analysts say an offshore licence can provide a degree of reassurance to customers, even when it does not authorise an operator to accept bets in the countries where those customers live. A licence may also help a company establish relationships with payment providers and other commercial services.

However, the distinction between holding an offshore licence and possessing the authorisation required to operate legally in a particular country is crucial. In Britain, gambling businesses generally need the appropriate permission from the UK Gambling Commission to provide regulated gambling services to British customers.

The controversy has therefore raised questions about whether some online operators are using the Anjouan name to create an impression of regulatory legitimacy while potentially avoiding requirements imposed by more established gambling regulators.

One company attracting particular attention is BC.Game, an online gambling platform that previously sponsored Leicester City Football Club. The operator has been accused of accepting bets from British customers despite not holding a British gambling licence. Such allegations highlight the challenges regulators face when offshore websites remain accessible to consumers through the internet.

Another operator, BetBolt, has used prominent publicity campaigns that appear to target a British audience. The company claimed to have paid adult entertainer Bonnie Blue $1.2 million to win an auction for the right to name her newborn baby. It also invited far-right activist Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, to appear as a guest croupier.

BetBolt said Robinson’s appearance was intended to increase international brand awareness and stated that it did not accept bets from UK gamblers. The company also claimed that the fee paid to Robinson was donated towards fundraising for fellow activist Daniel Thomas.

The publicity surrounding these figures has brought attention to a sector in which some operators use social media personalities and controversial public figures to attract customers. Nevertheless, the involvement of prominent individuals in promotional activities does not, by itself, establish whether a gambling business is operating lawfully.

More serious concerns relate to online casinos marketed as alternatives to Britain’s self-exclusion system, GamStop. The scheme allows people to exclude themselves from participating gambling websites, and licensed operators in the UK are required to apply the relevant exclusions.

Several offshore casinos associated with Anjouan have reportedly been advertised using phrases such as “not on GamStop”. Regulators and gambling specialists have warned that such marketing can appeal to people who are trying to control or stop their gambling.

An investigation into one website, SlotsCharm, found that an account could be opened and bets placed despite concerns surrounding its regulatory status. After betting activity stopped, the site’s representatives reportedly contacted the account holder more than 100 times by telephone or email, offering incentives to continue gambling.

A spokesperson for the website said it was governed by its own internal rules and that customers could decide whether to use the service. The response has intensified questions about the safeguards available to people who encounter offshore gambling platforms without the protections required of operators licensed in Britain.

For people experiencing gambling problems, repeated promotional contact and incentives to return to betting can create additional pressure. The issue is especially sensitive when customers have deliberately excluded themselves from regulated gambling services in an effort to manage their behaviour.

The corporate connections surrounding Anjouan Corporate Services have become another focus of scrutiny. Public information has linked the business to Toby Sorsky, the son of Elliot Sorsky, while British company records show that Elliot, Harold, Richard and Michael Sorsky have held interests in ACS Global Custodian.

The company operates from the same London headquarters as the Sherm Group, although Harold Sorsky has insisted that the two businesses are separate entities. He has also rejected claims that ACS Global Custodian sells or issues gaming licences.

According to Harold Sorsky, the company has not provided gaming licences since its ownership changed in 2023, and any earlier involvement in supporting licence applications predates the transfer of that function to another service provider. He described allegations suggesting otherwise as untrue and unsupported by the facts.

These denials are important to the ongoing dispute. The existence of family relationships, shared business premises or overlapping corporate interests does not independently prove that any individual has engaged in unlawful conduct. Establishing responsibility will require evidence about the actual services provided, the companies involved and the legal authority under which the licensing arrangements were established.

The wider growth of Anjouan-linked gambling has coincided with changes elsewhere in the offshore gambling industry. Some operators have moved away from Curaçao, a Caribbean jurisdiction that has traditionally hosted numerous online gambling businesses, amid tighter scrutiny and regulatory changes.

Industry participants have described Anjouan as a cheaper and less demanding alternative. One source quoted in the investigation contrasted the cost of an Anjouan licence, reportedly around £20,000, with a Curaçao licence that could cost approximately £80,000.

The lower cost and perceived accessibility of offshore arrangements may help explain their appeal to operators seeking to enter the international gambling market. However, questions about regulatory recognition, corporate transparency and consumer protection remain central to the debate.

Anjouan’s public register reportedly contains nearly 1,500 gaming licence holders, many of them associated with cryptocurrency gambling. The limited corporate information available about some licensees can make it difficult for customers and investigators to identify the people ultimately responsible for operating the businesses.

The Comoros government is now seeking cooperation from Britain to investigate the alleged unauthorised use of its name and licensing framework. The case could test how effectively authorities in different countries can work together when online gambling businesses, corporate service providers and financial transactions cross national borders.

A UK Treasury spokesperson declined to comment on the matter. The outcome of the proposed legal action and any subsequent investigations may help clarify the disputed licensing arrangements and determine whether further regulatory or enforcement measures are necessary.

The controversy illustrates a broader challenge for international gambling regulation: a company can present itself as licensed offshore while remaining subject to separate legal requirements in the countries where it seeks customers. For consumers, particularly those vulnerable to gambling-related harm, the difference can have significant consequences.

As the Comoros pursues assistance from British authorities, attention is likely to remain focused on corporate accountability, the transparency of offshore licensing and the effectiveness of safeguards for gamblers. Until the allegations are fully investigated, the precise responsibilities of the businesses and individuals involved remain matters requiring evidence and due process.