The state’s Department of Consumer Protection has announced it has suspended the license of an online gaming provider that operated an illegal online casino in the state, officials said.
According to the agency’s gaming division, an investigation determined that High5Games, also illegally operated an unlicensed online casino, High5Casino. High5Casino was allegedly marketed by High5Games as a legal “licensed” casino and accepted wagers from Connecticut bettors, according to officials.
FanDuel and DraftKings are the only two legal platforms licensed to accept online casino wagers from Connecticut consumers. They are both affiliated with Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Casino, officials said.
The DCP gaming division investigation determined that 1,100 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.
Self-exclusion allows a person to request to be excluded from legalized gaming activities in Connecticut. Individuals who enroll in self-exclusion are prohibited from collecting any winnings, recovering any losses or accepting complimentary gifts or services or any other thing of value from a licensee or operator.
“We are disappointed that a licensed gaming service provider took advantage of Connecticut consumers by operating an illegal casino platform,” said DCP Gaming Division Director Kris Gilman. “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.”
High5Games, a majority owner of High5Casino, will be charged with 1,065 criminal counts of conducting illegal gaming activity, state officials said. Gaming division criminal investigators also said they will seek criminal charges for all of the violations of Connecticut’s gaming laws. Each charge is a Class A misdemeanor carrying a penalty of up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $2,000.
The 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,” 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.”
If you or someone you know is looking for resources and support for problem gambling, call, or chat with the Connecticut Council on Problem Gaming 24/7 confidential Problem Gambling Helpline at 1(888) 789-7777 or visit www.ccpg.org. Information on services available in Connecticut for those who may have a gambling problem is also available at portal.ct.gov/problemgaming. You may also learn about self-exclusion at ct.gov/selfexclusion.
Stephen Underwood can be reached at sunderwood@courant.com
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