Gambling Commission suspends Spribe’s licence

Summary

The UK Gambling Commission has suspended Spribe OÜ’s UK operating licence after finding the supplier failed to meet the regulator’s hosting requirements. The Commission said the suspension was necessary on “grounds of suitability” due to “serious” non-compliance, and Spribe must immediately halt all hosting activity until a suitable host licence is issued and the suspension is lifted.

Key Points

Spribe OÜ’s UK software/hosting licence has been suspended by the Gambling Commission for failing to hold the required remote casino game host licence.
The regulator cited “grounds of suitability” and described the non-compliance as “serious.”
Spribe must stop all hosting activity immediately and may not resume until the Commission has lifted the suspension and issued a suitable hosting licence.
The Commission has opened a review of Spribe’s developer licence and activities.
Section 33 of the Gambling Act 2005 makes providing gambling facilities without a licence a criminal offence, with potential fines or imprisonment.
Spribe says the issue was an oversight in its 2020 licence application and is preparing an application for a remote casino game host licence; it claims player account access and withdrawals should not be affected.
Spribe’s Aviator game is widely used across the UK and Europe; operators reported access issues (a blank screen on Paddy Power) after the announcement.

Content Summary

Spribe was granted a remote gambling software licence in Great Britain in December 2020. The Commission found that the company’s business model also required a remote casino game host operating licence, which was not obtained. The regulator suspended Spribe’s licence on public interest and suitability grounds and has launched a review of the supplier’s licence and activities.

Spribe tells iGB it regards the matter as a licensing oversight from 2020 and is preparing the necessary host-licence application, urging fast approval so it can resume UK operations. The Commission emphasised it expects the highest standards of compliance and integrity from licence holders.

Context and Relevance

This matters because many operators rely on third-party hosted games; a major supplier losing hosting rights can cause service interruptions, regulatory scrutiny and reputational damage. The case underscores regulator focus on correct licence classification for hosted gaming and the wider trend of stricter enforcement of licensing rules in the UK market.

Operators, suppliers and affiliates should review whether their hosting arrangements require additional licences and ensure paperwork and disclosures are fully up to date to avoid similar enforcement action.

Why should I read this?

Short version: if you run, integrate or promote casino games — especially hosted titles like Aviator — this is a wake-up call. The Commission has pulled a big supplier’s hosting rights for a licensing gap. That can mean downtime, angry customers and possible fines. We’ve done the digging so you don’t have to; skim this now and check your own hosting licences afterwards.

Source

Source: https://igamingbusiness.com/legal-compliance/gambling-commission-suspends-spribe-licence/