FDJ United’s Unibet brand told iGaming Expert that it “could have acted faster” in some cases related to player-protection obligations in the Netherlands, which resulted in a multi-million-euro fine from the Dutch gambling regulator, the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA).
However, the operator disputes part of the regulator’s findings, saying that during the period when the violations occurred, “the rules were less specific than they are now.”
In its response to the sanctions, Unibet questioned the KSA’s interpretation of Dutch online-gaming legislation. Since the online gambling market launched in 2021 – during which the violations took place – the regulatory framework in the Netherlands has undergone major changes.
The KSA fined Optdeck, Unibet’s operator entity in the Netherlands, €4 million for failing to meet player-protection obligations between 14 July 2022 and 1 July 2024.
After requesting player files from Optdeck, the regulator found violations in all cases reviewed. These included daily deposits of several thousand euros without timely intervention despite signs of excessive gambling, and income-verification requests sent only weeks later, even after substantial losses.
The KSA added that the intervention measures used were “too weak,” such as easily ignored pop-ups. In addition, some income sources used in affordability checks were not allowed, such as corporate accounts.
Michel Groothuizen, Chair of the KSA, commented: “When there are signs of excessive gambling behaviour 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.”
FDJ United issued a strong response to the fine against Unibet. While acknowledging some errors, the company highlighted several key points from the KSA investigation with which it disagrees.
“Unibet takes this matter and its duty of care to provide a safe gaming environment at all times very seriously,” an FDJ United spokesperson told iGaming Expert.
“We acknowledge that, with the knowledge we have now, we could have acted sooner in the case of some of the players investigated. At the same time, we do not agree with some of the conclusions.
“The decision relates to the period June 2022–July 2024, when the rules were less specific than they are now. We applied those rules to the best of our knowledge. In its decision, the KSA applies a stricter interpretation than what was stated in the rules at the time. The legislation and regulations have since been tightened and, since October 2024, there has been a clearer framework for gambling limits.
“Since September 2024, we have been working with a new risk detection system that identifies risky gambling behaviour more quickly and leads to stricter interventions. We are also taking additional measures to protect players. The issues referred to by the KSA are no longer possible on our platform.”
This is not the first time Unibet has faced disciplinary action from the KSA this year. In June, the regulator issued two warnings for violations related to advertising and the auto-spin function, in the context of a cycling team sponsorship and the BonusBuy feature in one of the games. At that time, Unibet said it took the warning “very seriously and acted immediately,” changing its branding and compensating affected players.
In September, the FDJ United brand received another reprimand for offering prohibited betting markets – such as wagers on corners, yellow cards, and under-21 matches – which were offered multiple times between October 2022 and May 2025. Dutch law bans betting on certain types of sports events and individual match incidents in order to protect sporting integrity and prevent match-fixing.
The KSA said it had contacted Unibet repeatedly about such violations but saw “insufficient improvements and a real risk of recurrence.” As a result, the regulator imposed a fine of €75,000 for each week in which a violation occurs, up to a maximum of €450,000. At the time, Unibet stated that after identifying earlier errors in its sportsbook offering, the company had “modified its systems together with its sportsbook platform provider to comply with KSA requirements and recommendations.”
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