The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) has suspended High 5 Games’ online gaming service provider license (OGSP) and is pressing over 1,000 criminal charges against it.
The suspension order issued late last week alleges that High 5 Games misled Connecticut residents by marketing High 5 Casino, an online sweepstakes casino product, as a licensed platform.
It also suggests the company accepted wagers from players who had voluntarily self-excluded from gambling, another direct violation of state legislation.
The DCP is now pursuing 1,065 criminal charges against the leadership of High 5 Games for professional gambling violations, each carrying a potential jail sentence and fine.
In the Constitution State, only FanDuel (in partnership with Mohegan Sun) and DraftKings (in collaboration with Foxwoods Casino) can offer online casino gaming in Connecticut. Despite this, the DCP found that High 5 Casino:
- Accepted deposits from 1,100 Connecticut players, totaling over $3 million.
- Permitted 911 players to lose $937,598 collectively.
- Allowed 117 players on the Connecticut Voluntary Self-Exclusion List to wager nearly $300,000.
The last is considered a particularly egregious compliance failure.
How High 5 Games Misled Players and Violated Connecticut’s Gambling Laws
Further delving into the investigation, the DCP found that High 5 Casino had lax identity verification and compliance measures that quickly allowed users to bypass location-based restrictions.
The department successfully created an account in February 2025 despite its IP address being within state borders. Although investigators were initially blocked, they could successfully register and deposit funds into an account by simply changing their Google account’s state to Massachusetts.
In addition, no geolocation safeguards or Know Your Customer (KYC) verification measures were in place during registration. Investigators deposited funds using a mismatched credit card, which is traditionally a massive warning for financial security breaches.
Withdrawal restrictions are described as “burdensome. ” Investigators found that users had to complete a minimum $100 playthrough before they could cash out, and users were only required to undergo identity verification procedures upon withdrawing. This is once more in direct contravention of standard regulatory practices.
High 5 Games had previously announced its “departure” from Connecticut in February 2025, but investigators could deposit and place bets in March.
Regarding misleading advertising and misrepresentation around the legality of High 5 Casino, the company’s website listed it as a licensee in Connecticut alongside a “Play Now on High 5 Casino” button. Employee email signatures also included direct links to the real-money casino site.
Bryan T. Cafferelli, the Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner, commented: “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.”
The suspension order began with immediate effect, meaning:
- High 5 Games’ OGSP license is indefinitely suspended pending further investigation.
- All High 5 Games content will be removed from FanDuel and DraftKings platforms in Connecticut.
- The company faces over 1,000 criminal charges, with penalties of up to one year in jail and $2,000 per violation.
- The DCP is seeking restitution for consumers misled into believing High 5 Casino was legally operating.
DCP Gaming Division Director Kristofer Gilman lamented illegal operators, saying: “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.”
The Growing Crackdown on Sweepstakes Casinos in the U.S.
High 5 Games bread and butter product is a social casino product. However, it clearly has real-money casino verticals and has not obtained relevant licensing to operate it.
Online sweepstakes casinos, which operate using dual currencies, are facing mounting regulatory pressure across many states. For similar offenses, High 5 was also ordered to pay a fine of nearly $25 million in Washington.
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