Dutch gambling regulator fines Unibet €4m over duty of care breaches
The KSA found that the gambling operator had failed to intervene to check players’ income details.
The Netherlands.- The Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has announced a €4m fine against Unibet operator Optdeck Service Limited for failing to comply with its duty of care. The regulator said the breaches occurred between July 14, 2022, and July 1, 2024.
The KSA said that gambling companies are required to protect players as much as possible from excessive participation and gambling addiction. However, when it requested various player files from Optdeck and found that all of them showed violations of the duty of care.
Examples included players depositing thousands of euros per day without prompt intervention upon signs of excessive gambling behaviour, and income information only being requested after several weeks, by which time players had suffered substantial losses. The KSA said that when interventions were finally taken, they were too light, including easily dismissible pop-up windows.
The regulator also found that during checks of financial data, income that it doesn’t permit, such as a company account, was included.
It’s not the first time that the KSA has fined Kindred’s Dutch-facing Unibet operator recently. In September, it issued a penalty payment order totalling €450,000 for offering unauthorised sports bets on several occasions between October 2022 and May 2025. The violations related to football bets on corner kicks and yellow cards, as well as bets on matches in which there were participants aged under 21.
Michel Groothuizen, chairman of KSA, said: “When there are signs of excessive gambling behavior and someone wagers a large amount of money in a short period of time, a provider must promptly investigate the source of the money.
“This can be done by requesting income information. It is essential that providers conduct this analysis properly, because not all financial resources can simply be included. The Ksa takes violations of its duty of care very seriously and will continue to take strong action against them.”
