Crash games pioneer Spribe told NEXT.io its UK licence suspension resulted from a technical mix-up that meant it needed additional hosting authorisation on top of its existing remote operating licence.
The UK Gambling Commission yesterday (30 October) suspended the operating licence of SPRIBE OÜ, the Estonia-based gaming content provider, pending the results of a review under the Gambling Act 2005.
The regulator explained that the action, which takes place immediately, was taken on suitability reasons, “due to serious non-compliance with the hosting requirements of our licensing framework.”
The company has been ordered to stop any kind of hosting operations unless and until it secures an appropriate hosting licence.
The regulator explained that under section 33 of the Gambling Act of 2005, it is illegal to arrange gambling facilities in Great Britain without the corresponding licence, in the absence of an exemption in applicable circumstances.
A Spribe spokesperson told NEXT.io: “We acknowledge the UKGC’s announcement and are taking this matter extremely seriously. We are working diligently to resolve the issue as swiftly as possible.
“Spribe has held a remote operating licence in the UK market since late 2020 and has complied with all its terms, including annual audits, regulatory returns, and transparent communication with the UKGC regarding any questions or concerns throughout all these years.
“It only came to our attention last week from the UKGC that, due to our technical setup, we need to add a hosting licence to our existing one. Until we obtain this licence, the Commission, at its discretion, opted to suspend our current remote operating licence.
“We are taking all necessary steps to comply with the Commission’s requirements and expect to reinstate the delivery of Aviator to the UK market in the upcoming month.”
Spribe ordered to inform partners
The Commission further ordered Spribe to notify any partners or clients who might be affected by service disruption and to ensure that all gaming activities remain suspended until further notice.
The suspension may come as a blow to Spribe, which has managed to gain considerable worldwide popularity with its Aviator crash game.
The name has become ubiquitous in online casinos and betting sites, and is often used in online advertising to attract prospective customers.
However, the company has also faced trademark challenges that have made headlines. In an intellectual property case last year, a company run the by the previous Adjarabet-owner, Aviator LLC, won a ruling against Spribe in the Court of First Instance in Georgia.
The court found that Spribe and Adjarabet, Georgia’s largest online casino majority-owned by Flutter Entertainment, had infringed Aviator LLC’s trademark and copyright rights.
The judges ruled that Spribe’s trademark registrations were made in bad faith and constituted copyright violations, ordering the defendants to pay $330m in damages to Aviator LLC.
However, the case is far from over as Spribe continues a legal fight against Aviator LLC.
After the UK High Court granted Spribe an interim injunction preventing Aviator LLC from launching its own version of the Aviator game in August, Spribe founder David Natroshvili said: “I am pleased that the highly respected UK Court supports our position and has granted an injunction preventing Aviator LLC from launching and promoting its copycat game.
“Spribe created the Aviator crash game in 2018 and is the sole owner of the game globally. We will continue to take all necessary steps globally to protect Spribe, our partners and players from any third parties who seek to undermine or infringe our rights.”
