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The Dutch Gambling Authority (Ksa) has issued a formal warning to Optdeck, the company behind the popular betting site Unibet, for breaking two key gambling rules in the Netherlands. The problems were linked to advertising and game features. Although no fine has been given this time, the Ksa made it clear that any future mistakes could lead to serious penalties.
Advertising Problem: Branded Team Bus Misused
One of the issues involved a team bus with Unibet branding. The bus was part of the Unibet Tietema Rockets cycling team, but it was spotted in use outside of sports-related events. This broke the Dutch rule that bans gambling ads which are not clearly targeted at adults.
Optdeck explained that it wasn’t aware the bus was being used in other ways. The company admitted that handling several sponsorships can be tricky. As a fix, they quickly asked the cycling team to stop using the branded bus. They also decided to remove all Unibet logos from the team’s vehicles and started rebranding them.
This move comes ahead of a stricter sponsorship ban that takes effect from July 1, 2025. After that, all gambling advertising linked to sports will be banned in the Netherlands.
Game Issue: Banned Autoplay Feature Found
The second problem involved a game feature that Dutch law does not allow. A special function called “BonusBuy” let players use purchased bonuses repeatedly without having to start a new round. This kind of autoplay is not allowed in the Netherlands because it can lead to harmful or excessive gambling.
Optdeck said the feature was turned on by mistake by a third-party game supplier. It remained active for about two hours before the error was found. During that time, some players lost money. The company gave refunds to those players and added new controls to prevent this kind of problem from happening again.
Ksa: Operators Must Always Follow the Rules
The Ksa stressed that operators like Optdeck are fully responsible for following the law, even if a mistake comes from an outside provider. In this case, the company reacted fast and took steps to fix the problems, which is why no fine was issued.
But the warning is clear: no more chances will be given. If Optdeck or any other operator breaks the rules again, tougher actions will follow.
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