Unibet Faces €4m Dutch Fine After KSA Flags Serious Protection Lapses
Dutch regulator Kansspelautoriteit has levied a €4,000,000 fine on the Unibet operator for failures in player protection.
The Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) announced that Optdeck Service Limited, which runs the Unibet brand for Dutch customers, has been fined €4m for repeatedly breaching its duty of care between 14 July 2022 and 1 July 2024. The sanction follows a targeted review of player files that, the regulator said, exposed systematic shortcomings in how the operator identified and responded to signs of harmful gambling.
In its findings, the KSA highlighted multiple examples where customers deposited thousands of euros within a short timeframe without any timely scrutiny by the operator. Income documentation was often requested only weeks after risky activity began, by which point many players had already incurred significant losses. On occasion, the regulator said, account-level financial checks included income types the KSA does not accept for affordability assessments, such as company-account funds.
The regulator also criticised the substance of interventions. Where Unibet did take action, the KSA judged those measures to be insufficient – citing lightweight, easily dismissed pop-up messages and other contact attempts that failed to interrupt escalating wagering patterns or trigger robust investigations into the source of funds.
br>“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.
The fine is the latest enforcement measure involving Kindred Group’s Dutch-facing operations. In September, the KSA issued a separate penalty payment order totalling €450,000 against the same Unibet operator for offering unauthorised sports betting markets on several occasions between October 2022 and May 2025 – including bets on corner kicks, yellow cards and matches featuring participants under the age of 21.
Industry lawyers and compliance specialists say the KSA’s action follows a broader European trend in which regulators are tightening scrutiny on operator affordability checks and the efficacy of responsible gambling tools. This is a pattern also reflected in recent developments such as heightened regulatory scrutiny across European markets. While many operators have invested in monitoring software and behavioural algorithms, regulators continue to press for demonstrable, evidence-based interventions that go beyond automated warnings.
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Enforcement Trends and Operator Obligations
The KSA’s ruling underscores two practical requirements for licensed operators in the Netherlands: timely, risk-sensitive assessment of player finances and meaningful interventions when indicators of harm emerge. For operators this means a combination of clear processes to request and verify income data, limits on acceptable sources of funds, and escalation protocols that involve customer-facing contact and account restrictions when warranted.
Regulatory observers note that the monetary size of the penalty is intended as both a sanction and a deterrent. The KSA has signalled that fines will be levied where governance, record-keeping and the quality of interventions fall short of statutory duty-of-care standards under Dutch gambling law. For operators, the judgement increases commercial and reputational incentives to review compliance frameworks, third-party screening suppliers and staff training on responsible gambling assessments.
Optdeck and Kindred have not published a detailed response to the KSA’s latest decision at the time of publication. The company previously said it takes regulatory obligations seriously and is engaged in ongoing dialogue with relevant authorities in markets where it operates.
For policymakers and consumer advocates, the ruling is likely to feed ongoing debates about how best to combine real-time player monitoring with meaningful human review, and how to calibrate affordability checks so they identify at-risk players without creating disproportionate friction for low-risk customers. The KSA’s actions will be closely watched by operators and compliance teams across Europe as regulators sharpen enforcement priorities on player protection.
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