Unibet has been penalized €400,000 (£330,458) by the Dutch gambling regulator, the Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA), for accepting wagers from a player who had opted for self-exclusion from gambling activities.
This infraction occurred between November 2022 and January 2023, and the fine was imposed on Optdeck, the firm responsible for Unibet’s operations in the Netherlands.
In June 2023, the KSA received a complaint from a player who managed to register with Unibet in the previous November despite being listed on Cruks, the Dutch self-exclusion register.
The player also alleged that they had filed a complaint directly with the operator, which was supposedly mishandled.
Following a request for information from the KSA in August 2023, Unibet disclosed that it had modified its registration process in the last quarter of 2022. This modification allowed some players registered with Cruks to bypass the system and register and gamble with Unibet.
Unibet acknowledged that the surge in player registrations during the 2022 World Cup contributed to an uptick in Cruks error messages.
Their temporary solution permitted players receiving Cruks error messages to register without providing their citizen service number (BSN), ordinarily required for the self-exclusion register.
However, allowing registrations without verifying the BSN against the Cruks register contravenes Dutch gambling laws.
This practice was discontinued once Unibet was informed that self-excluded individuals were able to register on its platform.
During the period from November 2022 to January 2023, 15 individuals successfully registered and placed bets with Optdeck despite being listed on Cruks.
Regarding the BSN issue, the KSA stated in its decision: “The only reason for not registering a ‘hit’ on the Cruks system with the implicated group of players was the incorrect procedure followed.”
“Every provider is obligated and responsible for properly consulting Cruks. Optdeck failed to do this, resulting in no ‘hit’ from Cruks.”
A statement from the KSA noted: “Optdeck intentionally permitted the registrations of players without appropriately consulting the register for an extended period, coinciding with increased gambling activity due to the 2022 World Cup.”
“The pursuit of financial profit was prioritized over player protection, which the board finds incomprehensible.”
“Optdeck should have given paramount importance to adherence to the law and the critical importance of player protection. It cannot choose to disregard legal requirements at its convenience.”
Recently, the regulator imposed weekly penalty payments of €240,000 and €820,000 on [two unlicensed Curaçao-based companies](https://www.egr.global/intel/news/ksa-issues-penalty-payment-orders-against-two-unlicensed-operators/) for operating in the Netherlands without a proper license.
EGR has reached out to Kindred Group, Unibet’s parent company, for their remarks.
The article [Unibet fined €400,000 in the Netherlands after serving self-excluded players](https://www.egr.global/intel/news/unibet-fined-e400000-in-the-netherlands-after-serving-self-excluded-players/) was initially published on [EGR Intel](https://www.egr.global/intel).