Unibet online gambling site owner was fined million euros for failing to adequately assist its customers who displayed signs of addiction in the face of significant betting losses. In a statement released on Monday the Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA) declared the fine to be the biggest it has ever imposed on a licensed operator. Unibet parent Optdeck Service Limited, a business registered in Malta, on the other hand, was sanctioned for “failing to comply with its duty of care” throughout a two-year period, beginning in July 2022.
The regulator found that Unibet’s automated and manual reviews were often insufficient after looking into the behavior of ten particular gamblers. In certain situations, gamblers repeatedly triggered intervention systems, yet were frequently allowed to play all while losing tens of thousands of euros.
These players displayed various “signs of excessive gambling,” including continued play into the evening hours, numerous cash deposits in a day, or deposits that rose in quantity as losses grew. When Unibet did intervene, it typically happened weeks after red flags were raised.
In some situations, those interventions rather involved a one-on-one session that consisted merely of a pair of closed-answer questions. These were believed to be “about whether the player plays for fun and whether they are experiencing problems playing on the site. “In other instances, the player’s screen displayed “an easily dismissible pop-up.”
Unibet’s parent also failed in its attempt to screen players’ income to establish if they could afford their prospective losses, and clients were therefore also allowed to utilize information from business bank accounts, and to draw from them.
Licensed gambling providers have an ethical duty to cut off players who exhibit signs of addiction in a timely manner. Additionally, they must provide details about addiction support services and go into great detail during in-person interviews that result from the analysis of player behavior.
Optdeck contended that it has the last say over the structure of its addiction prevention program and that it would rather concentrate “on the player’s own responsibility” in response to the regulator’s ruling. Additionally, the business said that adjustments were implemented and that the inquiry “covers the period almost immediately after licensing and only a few months after the online gambling market opened.”
The KSA decision stated:
The Netherlands Gambling Authority has noted that Optdeck has taken other measures even after the period related to the established violations. However, these measures do not undo the violations committed, and will be discussed where necessary in the context of the proportionality of this sanction decision.
KSA Chair Michel Groothuizen said:
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. 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.
