The Dutch Gaming Authority hit Unibet with a €4 million penalty yesterday. The fine targets Optdeck, Unibet’s subsidiary operating games of chance in the Netherlands.
Optdeck runs multiple gambling sites for Dutch players. The KSA found serious problems with how the company handled at-risk customers.
Michel Groothuizen chairs the KSA board. He said providers must investigate money sources when someone bets huge amounts quickly. “The KSA takes violations of the duty of care very seriously and will continue to take tough action against them,” Groothuizen said.
Why Duty of Care Standards Matter Now
This marks another black eye for Unibet. The UK Gambling Commission fined the operator earlier in Q4 for anti-money laundering and social responsibility failures.
Dutch authorities are cracking down hard. The KSA handed BetCity a €2.7 million fine in October for youth protection problems. A pattern’s emerging.
The regulator wants operators to act faster. Weeks-long delays let problem gamblers lose thousands. That’s unacceptable under Dutch rules.
What Violations Led to This Penalty
The investigation covered July 14, 2022 through July 1, 2024. During those two years, Optdeck took inadequate action with players showing immoderate gaming behaviour.
Players deposited unusual and substantial amounts of money. But interventions took weeks to happen. Customers lost thousands of euros during these delays.
When Optdeck finally acted, the interventions weren’t effective enough. The KSA found this approach failed to protect vulnerable players properly. Income data requests should happen quickly when red flags appear.
The regulator said providers can’t just accept any financial resources. They must adequately analyse where money comes from. Optdeck didn’t meet this standard.
How This Affects Industry Compliance
Dutch operators face tougher scrutiny now. The KSA announced plans earlier this year to investigate behavioural influence tactics used by online gambling companies.
Source of funds verification will get more attention. Operators can’t wait weeks to check on high-value deposits anymore. The €4 million price tag sends that message clearly.
Speed matters for interventions. When someone deposits and loses large sums quickly, operators must act immediately. Delayed responses no longer cut it with the KSA.
Other Netherlands-licensed operators are reviewing their duty of care procedures. Nobody wants to be the next example. The regulator’s proving it’ll use financial penalties to enforce standards.
This case shows the KSA won’t accept slow, ineffective player protection. Operators need systems that catch problems early and act fast.
