The Gambling Commission (GC) has suspended the operating licence of Spribe, the studio behind the hugely popular Aviator crash game.

The regulator has announced that Spribe OÜ’s gambling software licence has been suspended while it carries out a licence review.

Spribe secured its gambling software licence in December 2020.

The Gambling Commission said the licence suspension was necessary due to “serious non-compliance with the hosting requirements of our licensing framework”.

The regulator has told Spribe that all hosting activity must be halted immediately, until a suitable hosting licence is obtained.

Hosting, as defined by the Gambling Commission, is when a supplier provides its content to operators indirectly.

The GC’s rules state: “Some gambling software businesses provide facilities for remote gambling by making their games available to customers of other operators.

“For example, rather than supplying its game software directly to remote gambling operators, the gambling software business hosts its own casino games on its own server, and those games can be accessed by customers of other operators through those other operators’ websites.”

Should a supplier meet these requirements, they may be eligible to hold a remote casino (game host) operating licence.

As per the Gambling Act 2005, it is a criminal offence to provide “facilities for gambling in Great Britain without a licence”.

A Gambling Commission statement read: “The Gambling Commission takes a robust approach to unlicensed gambling activity and always expects the highest standards of compliance and integrity from its licensees.

“We expect the licensee to promptly notify any parties impacted by service disruptions and to ensure that all operations are halted in line with the conditions of their operating licence until further notice.”

The Gambling Commission is also still reviewing Evolution’s licence after the live casino giant’s games appeared on black market sites in the UK.

Speaking on the firm’s Q3 earnings call, Evolution CEO Martin Carlesund said he was hoping for a resolution by the end of the year.

EGR has contacted Spribe for comment.

The post Gambling Commission suspends Spribe’s licence with immediate effect first appeared on EGR Intel.