DCP Issues Summary Suspension of High5Games License for Conducting Illegal Gaming Activity

The Department of Consumer Protection Gaming Division has issued a summary suspension of the license for Online Gaming Service Provider, High5Games.

High5Games is a licensed service provider that develops and provides online slot content for the legal gaming platforms in Connecticut. The Gaming Division’s investigation determined that High5Games also illegally operates an unlicensed online casino, High5Casino.

High5Casino was marketed by High5Games as a legal “licensed” casino and accepted wagers from Connecticut bettors, including individuals who had signed up for the statewide Voluntary Self-Exclusion List.

There are only two legal platforms licensed to accept iCasino wagers from Connecticut consumers: FanDuel and DraftKings. They are affiliated with Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Casino, respectively.

The DCP Gaming Division investigation determined that 1100 Connecticut customers made deposits and gambled on the unlicensed High5Casino platform. Of those, 911 customers lost a total of $937,938, and 108 were individuals who had signed up for the Voluntary Self-Exclusion List. Customers on the Voluntary Self-Exclusion List lost nearly $300,000 on the platform.

High5Games, a majority owner of High5Casino, will be charged with 1065 criminal counts of conducting illegal gaming activity. Gaming Division Criminal Investigators will seek criminal charges for all of the violations of Connecticut’s gaming laws, for which each charge is a Class A misdemeanor carrying a penalty of up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $2000.

DCP will seek restitution for eligible consumers who suffered a financial loss after being misled to believe that High5Casino was a legal form of gaming in Connecticut.

“Thank you to our Gaming Division team for their hard work to hold this licensee accountable. It is a privilege to hold this license, and we expect our credential holders to take that responsibility seriously. High5Games took advantage of their credential to mislead consumers into believing they were participating in gaming on a legal platform when, in fact, they were breaking the law. We remind consumers that there are only two licensed online casinos in Connecticut — DraftKings/Foxwoods and FanDuel/Mohegan Sun — and if you choose to participate in online gaming, you should only utilize one of the legal platforms licensed to operate in our state,” said DCP Commissioner Bryan T. Cafferelli.

“We are disappointed that a licensed gaming service provider took advantage of Connecticut consumers by operating an illegal casino platform. It is difficult to recover funds for consumers from illegal platforms. We remind consumers that gambling on licensed platforms is the only way to guarantee recovered funds in the event of an issue with a game or platform,” said DCP Gaming Division Director Kris Gilman.