KSA receives complaints about Unibet in first day of operations

The Dutch regulator says it has received complaints about bonuses offered by Kindred’s Unibet.

The Netherlands.- Kindred’s Unibet went live in the Netherlands this week after a six-month absence while it awaited a licence to operate on the new regulated market. And after the brand’s first day online, the Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) says it is investigating complaints from customers.

The KSA said it received complaints about issues involving bonuses. It said that it had been in contact with Unibet and that the brand had recognised and was “working to resolve” the issues. Customers were advised to contact Unibet’s help centre on unibet.nl for more information.

Meanwhile, the KSA has issued a cease and desist order against Gammix. It has ordered the Malta-based operator to cease offering gaming to Dutch customers without a local licence.

The regulator said it had investigated two Gammix websites, rantcasino.com and nordslot.com, on March 1 and March 8. It found that it could create an account, make deposits and play games from a Dutch IP address and supplying a Dutch address and nationality. The regulator checked again on May 24, deposited money and played games.

It also identified that there were 24,911 visits to nordslot.com and 31,328 visits to rantcasino.com from the Netherlands between May 16 and June 11. The KSA said Gammix will face a fine of up to €1.4m per week, up to a maximum €4.5m, if it does not cease to offer games to Dutch players within two weeks.

The Netherlands to ban gambling ads from TV from January

The Dutch government is finally moving ahead with its plans to ban “untargeted” gambling ads in the country. Broadcast ads will be banned from January and gambling sponsorship in sport will be banned from the start of 2025.

The Ministry of Legal Protection has drawn up the plans having faced pressure from MPs for several months due to the surge in gambling advertising seen after the Dutch regulated online gambling market launched in October last year.

The ban on broadcast ads covers not only television but also radio and advertising in public spaces. It will come into effect from January 1. Further measures will be phased in over the two subsequent years. Sponsorship of television programs and events will be banned from January 1, 2024, and the sponsorship of sports kits and venues will be banned from January 1, 2025.

The ministry said the staggered prohibition was intended to “give the sports sector the opportunity to find alternative sponsors”.