UK Gambling Commission suspends Spribe licence over hosting non-compliance
Summary
The UK Gambling Commission has suspended Spribe OÜ’s UK licence with immediate effect after identifying non-compliance with hosting requirements, calling the breach “serious.” The suspension stops all of Spribe’s hosting activity in Great Britain while the regulator carries out a review under Section 118(2) of the Gambling Act 2005.
The Commission emphasised that hosting — where a supplier runs games on its own servers and serves them to operators’ sites or apps — requires a separate remote casino game host licence in addition to a gambling software licence. Under Section 33 of the Act, offering gambling facilities without the correct licence is a criminal offence.
Spribe acknowledges an oversight in its 2020 licence application: it held a remote gambling software licence but did not obtain the remote casino game host licence its business model requires. The firm says it is preparing an application to close this “technical licensing gap” and working urgently to meet regulatory and technical requirements. Spribe also says players should still have access to accounts and be able to withdraw funds.
The Gambling Commission has instructed Spribe to halt hosting until a suitable licence is obtained and reminded the developer to notify affected parties about any service disruption. A full licence review by the regulator is ongoing and UK operations will remain suspended until the hosting licence is approved.
Key Points
- The Gambling Commission suspended Spribe’s UK licence immediately for “serious” non-compliance with hosting requirements.
- Hosting requires a separate remote casino game host licence in addition to a gambling software licence.
- Providing gambling facilities without the correct licence is a criminal offence under Section 33 of the Gambling Act 2005.
- Spribe says the issue was an oversight in its 2020 application and is preparing an application for the required host licence to close the “technical licensing gap.”
- The Commission has ordered Spribe to stop hosting operations and to notify affected parties; a full licence review is underway and UK hosting will remain suspended until approval.
Author style
Punchy: This is a clear regulatory enforcement move — the Commission is drawing a line on hosting compliance. If you supply or integrate games in the UK, this is a red flag to audit licence scope and hosting arrangements now.
Why should I read this?
Short and simple — if your business touches game hosting, platforms or supplier integrations in the UK, this is relevant. Spribe’s suspension shows the regulator will act fast over licensing oversights, so double-check your licences and notify partners if anything changes. If you don’t work in UK iGaming, skim this and move on — we’ve done the heavy lifting for you.
