Optdeck, the company operating the Unibet brand in the Netherlands, has been fined by the country’s gambling regulator (KSA) for offering unauthorized sports betting markets.
The KSA announced the penalty on its website, detailing that the violations related to forbidden soccer markets and allowing betting on events involving minors.
Several sports markets, including esports, are not permitted in the Netherlands. Image Credit: Chris Robert/Unsplash
The statement said, “Unibet offered unauthorized sports betting on several occasions between October 2022 and May 2025. The KSA is therefore imposing a penalty of €75,000 for each week in which a violation occurs, with a maximum penalty of €450,000.”
It added that “The KSA has repeatedly addressed Unibet about the betting options offered. The KSA sees insufficient improvement and a real risk of recurrence.”
Dutch Gambling Prohibits Certain Markets, Including Esports
The markets in question relate to bets on corners and yellow cards in soccer matches, as well as betting on under-21 games.
Esports betting is also not permitted in the country, although it may be allowed in the future. The KSA states that betting is currently prohibited on esports events due to a lack of internationally recognized organizations governing the sport.
The partnership with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to bring about the first official esports Olympics could lead to legal betting in the Netherlands.
In addition to restricting markets, the KSA has also implemented a ban on gambling advertising in sports, a deposit limit for bettors, and raised taxes on gambling companies.
KSA chairman Michel Groothuizen said the measures were put in place to protect players and was not concerned about the decline in revenue for gambling companies.
Unibet Faces Sanctions Around the World
The KSA also fined Unibet last year in December for allowing individuals on the Dutch self-exclusion list to continue gambling. For that violation, Unibet had to pay €400,000 ($465,000).
The gambling operator was fined around $650,000 for a similar violation in Australia this year. An investigation by Australia’s gambling regulator found over 100,000 cases where Unibet had allowed users registered to BetStop to gamble.
BetStop is Australia’s self-exclusion list, and the country requires gambling companies to close accounts of anyone registered on it.
Furthermore, Unibet was fined around $1 million for anti-money laundering violations in Sweden in May this year. That followed a $3 million fine in the country for a bonus offer.
Previously, the operator was forced to exit the market in Norway and was also fined almost $4 million for AML failures in the UK.