Gamban warns recovering gamblers over lookalike Gambana

• Gamban says it has no business relationship with offshore casino Gambana.
• People seeking the blocking tool are urged to check web addresses carefully.
• Gambana holds an Anjouan licence but no Irish licence.

Gambling-blocking software provider Gamban has publicly distanced itself from Gambana, an offshore casino and sportsbook whose name sits a single letter away from its own. The warning is aimed at its users and anyone looking for its service to stay away from gambling.

Spot the difference

In a public statement, Gamban said it has no business relationship with Gambana. The company urged people to look closely at website addresses, especially those trying to avoid gambling platforms.

Anyone unsure whether they had used the genuine service was directed to Gamban’s support team through official channels. The company also asked people who had landed on Gambana, believing it was Gamban, to come forward.

Gamban said it is treating the matter seriously and working to clear up the confusion. The statement gives no figure for how many people may have been affected.

More than a name

The stakes go beyond a routine brand clash. Operating since 2015, Gamban blocks gambling websites and apps on Windows, Mac, Android and iOS. The Michigan regulator describes the software as highly resistant to removal.

Gamban’s own website lists more than 190,000 blocked websites, over 5,000 blocked apps and more than 250,000 licences activated. A casino trading under an almost identical name sits uncomfortably close to that user base.

Gambana, by contrast, runs a crypto casino alongside a sportsbook. It has also been active in markets where it holds no local licence.

The Anjouan connection

A March Irish Examiner investigation reported that Gambana is owned and operated by JJAM Holdings Ltd, a company registered in Belize. Its licence comes from the Anjouan Offshore Finance Authority (AOFA), which has covered the site since November 2025, the newspaper said.

Anjouan licences remain controversial. In 2022, the Central Bank of the Comoros labelled the AOFA a fictitious structure issuing licences illegally, the Irish Examiner reported. Anjouan Gaming has since defended its framework against such criticism.

Gambana does not hold a licence in Ireland. The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI), which oversees the country’s new licensing regime, told the newspaper that offering betting without one is unlawful. It added that the offence can attract up to eight years’ imprisonment on conviction.

Influencers on board

The investigation also found several Irish social media influencers promoting Gambana to large audiences. Solicitors for Jonathan Finlay, who has more than 670,000 TikTok followers, confirmed he had a commercial partnership with the site.

Jonathan Morley, another promoter, said he stopped promoting the brand and moved to end the partnership once he learned it had no Irish licence. Gambana did not respond to the Irish Examiner’s request for comment.

Blockers go mainstream

The warning comes as Gamban expands its work with regulators. On 23 April, the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) began offering residents free Gamban licences lasting one to five years, with no need to join a self-exclusion programme.

More than 80 of the first 100 licences were claimed within two weeks. On 21 May, the MGCB announced it had bought 100 additional licences. The regulator noted the software blocks gambling content regardless of regulatory status, including crypto and black market sites.

In a separate action on 8 October, Michigan sent cease-and-desist letters to 33 offshore operators. It warned that self-excluded players remain exposed on unlicensed sites.

In August, Gamban signed a partnership with Lewes FC for the 2026/27 season. The semi-professional English club has campaigned against gambling advertising in football since 2019.

Protecting the brand

Gamban also uses its social channels to share recovery stories. One recent post featured a user gambling-free for more than 700 days, who credited his wife, Gamblers Anonymous and Gamban.

The company has been equally vocal about sites sold as “casinos not on GamStop”. It says these are built to exploit people who have already self-excluded.

Gamban’s statement makes no mention of legal action over the Gambana name. Brand protection is already on the industry’s agenda, however. Entain has urged the UK Intellectual Property Office to consider tying gambling trademark registration to Gambling Commission licensing.

No such link exists yet. For now, harm-prevention tools facing lookalike offshore brands are left to protect their names the way Gamban has: by warning their own users.