What Happened to Intouch Gaming?
Author: P J
Published: 21/12/2023
A few years ago, InTouch Games were rising stars. In our reviews, we criticised the brand’s sites for a lack of games but praised them for originality and jackpots (all games were created in-house, so they were 100% unique). We thought that InTouch had a bright future and said as much in our reviews.
Fast forward to today, those sites have closed down and InTouch have lost all three of their licenses (for bingo, casino games, and remote gaming). It’s a shocking twist in the InTouch story and one that no one saw coming.
License Surrender
InTouch Games surrendered their UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) license on September 5th 2023. The UKGC made it clear that it had the power to continue its investigations and expected InTouch to promptly close all websites.
A pretty stark warning, we’re sure you’ll agree. It’s common to see the UKGC impose penalties and dish out warnings, but it’s rare to see them take such drastic action.
So…what happened?
Social Responsibility and Other Failings
The UKGC stated that the operator’s license was suspended until it “carried out a review under section 116 of the Gambling Act 2005”.
Section 116 relates to standard regulatory matters, with the commission noting that the issues relate to “money laundering, fair and transparent terms and practices, and reporting key events.”
This wasn’t completely out of the blue though. InTouch have faced issues in the past.
In 2019, the company was fined for regulatory failures. This was repeated 2 years later, with the issues seemingly related to AML and fair/transparent gambling. In total, these fines amount to around £5.5 million.
In 2022, the operator was fined a further £6.1m for repeat failings, with the UKGC voicing their displeasure at the continued shortcomings.
Some of the incidents seem to have been related to failed funding checks. Gambling brands are required to verify that a user can afford to gamble as much as they are gambling, especially if their deposits suddenly increase. These “source of funds” requests are part of the UKGC’s social responsibility regulations, aimed at reducing problem gambling. InTouch aren’t the first operator to fall foul of such laws.
TonyBet and VBet were also fined several hundred thousand pounds for breaking these rules in 2023. In InTouch’s case, it seems that the UKGC took strict action as a result of repeat violations and warnings.
What Happens Now?
The license suspension stops InTouch from offering gaming services, but it doesn’t prevent the brand from accessing accounts and paying customers their funds. If you have an account with one of the operator’s sites (including Jammy Monkey, Bonus Boss, and mFortune) you should visit the site, make a withdrawal if possible, and contact support if not.
The InTouch Games brand was acquired by Skywind Holdings in 2022. Skywind is a massive B2B gaming software provider that runs many brands, and these are licensed and operated separately from InTouch.
