Department of Consumer Protection suspends license of online gaming provider for illegal activity

HARTFORD, CT. (WFSB) - The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection suspended the license of an online gaming provider for illegal activity.

The department says that High5Games, which provides online slot content for legal gaming platforms in Connecticut, also illegally operates an unlicensed casino called High5Casino.

It was marketed as a legal and licensed casino and accepted wagers from bettors, including those who had signed up for the statewide voluntary self-exclusion list.

It was found that 1,100 customers made deposits and used the platform to gamble.

Of those customers, 911 lost a total of $937,938. 108 of them were signed up for the self-exclusion list.

High5Games will now be charged with 1,065 criminal counts of conducting illegal gaming activity. Criminal investigators will also seek criminal charges for all of their violations of the state’s gaming laws.

Each charge is a Class A misdemeanor and carries a penalty of up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $2,000.

The department will also seek restitution for those impacted.

“Thank you to our Gaming Division team for their hard work to hold this licensee accountable,” said DCP Commissioner Bryan T. Cafferelli. “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.”