Maryland’s regulator has continued its push to eradicate sweep operators by ordering High 5 Casino to exit the state.
The notice comes just a week after VGW was sent the same message by the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency (MLGCA).
Similar to the cease and desist letter sent to VGW, the MLGCA accuses High Entertainment, the company doing business as High 5 Casino, of “offering and conducting online gaming activities in Maryland without legal authority to do so”.
“Online casino gaming (also known as iGaming) is not permitted in Maryland and an online operator is prohibited from offering any casino gaming unless licensed by the Commission,” added the MLCGCA’s Managing Director of Gaming, Michael Eaton, in the notice.
“The Commission has no record of High 5 Casino being issued a sports wagering license, a casino gaming license or registration as a fantasy competition operator.”
High 5 Casino has until 5pm ET on 2 April to reply to the MLGCA.
If High 5 believes it is operating lawfully, the MLGCA has stated that it must provide “any legal analysis or opinion interpreting Maryland law that concludes, advises, or suggests that High Entertainment may legally offer sports wagering, casino games or fantasy competition games in Maryland without Commission registration or licensure”.
The MLGCA’s targeting of operators has been coupled with a legislative push to ban the vertical.
In January, over a dozen operators were issued with notices to exit Maryland, meanwhile, a pair of companion bills, SB 860 and HB 1140, have been introduced to increase punishments for illegal online gaming and outlaw sweepstakes casinos in the state.
High 5 faces 1,000 charges in Connecticut
Alongside receiving a notice to exit Maryland, High 5 Casino also faces significant difficulty in Connecticut.
High 5 Games, the parent company of High 5 Casino, was suspended by the state’s Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) following an investigation into the platform. Additionally, the DCP is pressing more than 1,000 criminal charges against the company – punishable by up to a year in prison and a maximum fine of $2000 per charge.
“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,” said Bryan T. Cafferelli, Commissioner of the DCP, on the investigation.
In response, High 5 Games told iGaming Expert that it was committed to working with regulators to resolve the dispute and maintained that the firm upholds “the highest regulatory standards and remains committed to compliance” across the jurisdictions in which it operates.
