InTouch Games has had its UK operating licence suspended by the Gambling Commission while the regulator carries out a review of the business.
Licence suspension background
InTouch Games is a UK-based company operating several online gambling brands including mFortune, Jammy Monkey, Mr Spin and Cashmo.
In June 2022, InTouch was acquired by Skywind Group, primarily a B2B supplier of online gambling software across several European jurisdictions.
Skywind Group boasts several high-profile operator partners including PokerStars, Ladbrokes, Coral and 888.
Meanwhile, InTouch Games holds licences to operate online bingo and casino, as well as a remote gambling software supplier licence. All three of its licences are currently suspended.
According to the Gambling Commission, the review into the business follows concerns that the operator may not have acted in accordance with the conditions of its licence, and that it may therefore be unsuitable to continue carrying out its licensed activities.
The licence conditions which the Gambling Commission suspects have not been followed relate to the areas of money laundering, fair and transparent terms and practices, and the reporting of key events.
The regulator has therefore suspended the company’s operating licence while it undergoes a review.
Over the course of the suspension, the Gambling Commission said it expects InTouch Games “to focus on treating consumers fairly and keeping them fully informed of any developments which impact them.”
It added that the suspension does not prevent the operator from allowing customers to access their accounts and withdraw funds.
Previous action
This is the latest regulatory action to hit InTouch Games in the UK.
In 2019, the operator agreed a £2.2m settlement with the UKGC for regulatory failures.
In March 2021, the firm was hit with another financial penalty worth £3.4m, after breaching several of its licence conditions relating to AML, fair and transparent terms and practices, combating problem gambling, customer interaction and marketing requirements.
In addition to the financial penalty, InTouch also had additional conditions added to its licence and was issued a formal warning at that time.
Later, in January 2023, the business was hit with another sanction, this time bringing with it a financial penalty of £6.1m.
In that case, the Gambling Commission found the operator had breached several elements of its AML-related licence conditions as well as a provision of its social responsibility code relating to customer interaction.
At the time, UKGC executive director of operations Kay Roberts said: “We will take escalating enforcement action where failures are repeated and all licensees should be acutely aware of this.”
