Illegal online CT casino faces 1,065 charges of illegal gaming activity

The state Department of Consumer Protection suspended the license for the online gaming service provider High5Games after users lost nearly $1 million.

HARTFORD, Conn. — High5Games, an online gaming service provider, has had its Connecticut license suspended, according to an announcement from the state Department of Consumer Protection on Friday.

High5Games develops and provides online slot content for legal gaming platforms in Connecticut. DCP is accusing the online gaming service provider of operating an illegal and unlicensed online casino, High5Casino.

High5Casino was reportedly marketed by High5Games as a legal “licensed” casino and accepted wagers from Connecticut betters, according to DCP. These included people who had signed up for the statewide Voluntary Self-Exclusion List.

Only two legal platforms in Connecticut are licensed to accept iCasino wagers from local consumers. These are FanDuel and DraftKings, which are affiliated with Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Casino, respectively.

An investigation led by DCP’s Gaming Division found that 1,100 Connecticut customers made deposits and gambled on the unlicensed High5Casino platform.

Of these individuals, 911 are said to have lost a total of $937,938, and 108 had signed up for the Voluntary Self-Exclusion List. DCP reports that customers on the Voluntary Self-Exclusion List lost around $300,000 on the nefarious platform.

High5Games, which is High5Casino’s majority owner, will be charged with 1,065 criminal counts of conducting illegal gaming activity.

DCP Gaming Division Criminal investigators are also seeking criminal charges for all the violations of Connecticut’s gaming laws, for which each charge is a Class A misdemeanor carrying a penalty of up to one year of imprisonment and a fine of up to $2,000.

Furthermore, DCP plans to seek restitution for the eligible customers who lost money after being misled to believe that High5Casino was a legal form of gaming in the state.

Sign up for the FOX61 newsletters: Morning Forecast, Morning Headlines, Evening Headlines

In a release, DCP Commissioner Bryan Cafferelli thanked the Gaming Division for its hard work holding the licensee accountable. He said it is a privilege to hold a license, and the department expects 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,” Cafferelli said.

He reminded consumers that DraftKings/Foxwoods and FanDuel/Mohegan Sun are the only two licensed online casinos in the state.

“If you choose to participate in online gaming, you should only utilize one of the legal platforms licensed to operate in our state,” Cafferelli added.

DCP Gaming Division Director Kris Gilman expressed disappointment 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,” Gilman said. “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 a platform.”

Effective immediately, High5Games’ Online Gaming Service Provider license is suspended. DCP says that any games they have provided to FanDuel and DraftKings will be removed from the platforms as soon as possible.

Consumers can report gaming-related concerns to DCP by emailing DCP.Gaming@ct.gov.

For resources and support regarding problem gambling, one can chat with the Connecticut Council on Problem Gaming 24/7 confidential Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-888-789-7777 or by clicking here. Further information about problem gambling help in Connecticut can be found here.

Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.

Do you have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at newstips@fox61.com.