Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Dutch gaming authority, issued the warnings to Optdeck, which provides games of chance under the Unibet brand in the Netherlands, for violations related to a cycling team sponsorship and a BonusBuy function in one of their titles.
In response, a Unibet spokesperson told iGaming Expert that the brand took the KSA’s warning “very seriously and took immediate action” to correct the errors, including adjusting branding and compensating affected players.
Sponsorship bus
As part of its sponsorship of the Unibet Tietema Rockets cycling team, the Unibet logo was shown on a coach, which was used to transport the team in the Netherlands and for additional purposes. The Dutch authority has stated that this violates the non-targeted advertising ban.
Speaking with Optdeck, the KSA said that the operator was “not aware that the bus was also used for other transport and that monitoring various sponsorship agreements can be complex”, adding that the team has been asked to stop using the bus immediately and modified stickers will be provided without the Unibet brand logo.
“The KSA has indicated that it is always the provider’s responsibility to guarantee that sponsorship agreements comply with the laws and regulations,” noted the regulator.
“In addition, the coach in this form will no longer be allowed on the road as of 1 July 2025, because that is also when the ban on sports sponsorship comes into effect.”
KSA Chair, Michael Groothuizen, has previously stated that current loopholes in sponsorship must be addressed by the forthcoming overhaul of the Remote Gambling Act undertaken by state secretary Teun Struycken.
A Unibet spokesperson told iGaming Expert: “Unibet takes the signals from the Dutch Gambling Authority very seriously and took immediate action upon notification. The broader use of the touring coach by the sponsored team was halted at our request.
“Ahead of the new regulations per July 1, all team vehicles in the Netherlands will be fitted with adjusted branding without the Unibet logo.”
BonusBuy not allowed
The second warning issued by the Dutch regulator to Unibet was due to a BonusBuy feature that was part of one of their titles. BonusBuy is a form of autoplay, which allows players to automatically continue playing with purchased bonuses without having to start a new game.
The KSA stated that this is prohibited as it encourages players to excessively gamble. In its conversation with Optdeck, the regulator stated that the BonusBuy feature was activated incorrectly by the supplier due to a third-party error.
The function was live for two hours, with players who suffered losses during that period being compensated, while measures have also been taken to make sure the same mistake isn’t repeated in the future.
“The identified autoplay functionality was unintentionally briefly available due to an error by an external supplier following the game’s launch,” noted a Unibet spokesperson to iGaming Expert.
“During our internal checks prior to launch, this functionality was still disabled. Affected players have been compensated, and we have implemented additional measures with the supplier to prevent such errors in the future.”
The Dutch regulator said in its release: “The KSA emphasised in the conversation that the provider itself is responsible for correctly following laws and regulations, even if there is a collaboration with third parties.
“Because both violations were stopped immediately as soon as they were noticed, the KSA will leave it at a warning for now. If Optdeck makes another mistake in the future, the KSA can impose stricter sanctions.”
