The Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) Gaming Division in Connecticut has suspended High 5 Games’ licence following an investigation that found the company had been operating an illegal casino in the state.
High 5 Games has since issued an official response, affirming its commitment to regulatory standards across North America and its intent to cooperate with local authorities to resolve the matter.
Illegal Casino Operations & Investigation Findings
The DCP Gaming Division determined that High 5 Games had been running an online platform, High 5 Casino, in Connecticut, despite only FanDuel and DraftKings being authorised to accept wagers in the state—through their partnerships with Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Casino, respectively.
The investigation revealed that:
- A total of 1,100 local users signed up for High 5 Casino
- Players lost over $1.2 million
- As a result, High 5 Games faces 1,065 criminal counts of illegal gaming activity
High 5 Games’ Response
The company released the following statement:
“High 5 Games has always upheld the highest regulatory standards and remains committed to compliance across all jurisdictions in which we operate. Throughout our 30-year history as an established gaming brand in the US, we have worked closely with regulators to ensure responsible and transparent business practices, offering an experience to our loyal business partners that is both enjoyable and safe.
We pride ourselves on the games we deliver as a B2B supplier to operators in all regulated markets in the United States, Canada and Latin America. Honour, trust and legal compliance will always be cornerstones of our business. We treasure our relationships with all iGaming operators as clients, and we safeguard these relationships with extreme care. We will always continue to work hard to bring the highest value of content to our partners in a reliable, safe way.
We are committed to cooperating with Connecticut regulators to resolve this matter and maintain the integrity of our gaming licences. Our focus remains on delivering exceptional and innovative gaming experiences while fully complying with all state and country regulations.”
Regulatory Action & Industry Impact
DCP Gaming Division Director Kris Gilman commented:
“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.”
In addition, High 5 Games ceased its sweepstakes operations in several US states last month.
This latest enforcement action follows a Washington state social casino class action verdict in February, where High 5 Games was ordered to pay nearly $25 million.
