Gaming regulators in Connecticut are pressing more than 1,000 criminal charges against sweepstakes casino operator High 5 Games. The Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) Gaming Division is also suspending the casino platform’s license in the state as a service provider of online slot content.
FanDuel, DraftKings Are The Only Online Casinos Allowed In Connecticut
According to a news release, Connecticut regulators reaffirmed that the only legal online casinos in the Constitution State are FanDuel and DraftKings. Both casino sites are run in tandem with the Mohegan Sun and Mashantucket Pequot tribes, respectively.
“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. High 5 Games 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.”
High 5 Games Issues Response On Suspended License
In a statement in response to the allegations, High 5 Games reasserted its commitment to compliance, safe gaming, and responsibility.
“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 U.S., 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,” the statement read.
“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. Honor, 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.”
High 5 Casino Exited Six States Last Month, Including Connecticut
High 5 Casino announced last month that it would cease offering its products in the six states where online casino sites are regulated and legalized, which includes Connecticut. The other five states are Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and West Virginia.
DCP previously sent a cease-and-desist letter to High 5 Casino competitor VGW, asking the company to leave the state in October of 2024. DCP investigators said in their suspension summary that they were able to circumvent the means put in place to block in-state customers by changing the state the email address was associated with.
According to DCP, more than 1,100 Connecticut residents signed up to play on High 5 Casino. This means there will be roughly 1,065 charges of conducting illegal gambling activity. Each charge carries a potential sentence of up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $2,000 per count.
“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.”
High 5 Games Ordered To Pay $25 Million To Washington Players
A Washington court recently ruled that High 5 Casino needs to pay out approximately $25 million in damages. The class action lawsuit maintained that even though the digital chips used in these casino-style games held no direct monetary value, they were still valuable to players because the chips extended the gaming experience.
High 5 Games had structured its sweepstakes casino operations around the practice of selling virtual chips that allowed for continued gameplay without providing any avenue for real-money payouts. Court documents alleged that High 5 engaged in a revenue model constituting gambling.
Through betting slips or payment receipts, it was determined that players from Washington state had lost more than $17.7 million in total on the Facebook game. This figure must now be repaid by High 5 Games, along with an extra $7.2 million in damage claims under Washington’s Consumer Protection Act.