Dutch Gaming Authority Orders Unibet Operator Optdeck to Improve AML Monitoring and Risk Control Systems
The Dutch Gaming Authority (Ksa) has issued a directive to Optdeck Service Limited, the company responsible for operating Unibet’s online gambling services in the Netherlands. The action follows an investigation that identified weaknesses in the operator’s anti-money laundering (AML) controls.
Optdeck Service Limited runs the Unibet platform in the Dutch regulated market, providing online sports betting and casino products to local players. The Netherlands continues to attract both new brands and platform suppliers entering the regulated market, as seen in the recent Winz.nl launch in the Netherlands. As a licensed operator in the Netherlands, the company must follow national gambling laws and financial crime prevention rules, including the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act (Wwft).
During its review, the regulator examined how the company applied AML procedures such as customer verification and transaction monitoring. According to the Ksa, some of these safeguards were not functioning as effectively as required, which could limit the operator’s ability to detect suspicious financial behaviour.
Ksa Investigation Reveals Compliance Failures in Monitoring Systems
Customer due diligence procedures
The investigation highlighted several issues related to the way customer due diligence procedures were implemented.
Under the Wwft framework, licensed gambling operators must verify player identities, evaluate financial risks and monitor transactions for unusual activity. The regulator concluded that the practical implementation of these obligations at Optdeck Service Limited did not always match the company’s documented compliance policies.
Monitoring tools and internal controls
The Ksa also found that certain monitoring tools and internal controls were not fully aligned with the operator’s risk management approach. This meant that unusual financial patterns might not always be identified quickly within the monitoring process.
Because of these findings, the regulator instructed the company to strengthen its compliance systems and ensure AML monitoring measures work effectively in everyday operations.
Operator Ordered to Revise High-Risk Player Detection Thresholds
Financial thresholds for risk classification
Another issue identified by the regulator concerned the financial thresholds used to classify players as higher risk.
These thresholds determine when enhanced due diligence checks are required and when an operator must investigate the source of a player’s funds. The Ksa determined that the thresholds used by Optdeck Service Limited were not always effective within the existing monitoring framework.
As part of the directive, the company must review and adjust these thresholds so that suspicious behaviour can be identified earlier. The regulator noted that effective AML controls rely on continuous monitoring systems capable of identifying unusual activity across player accounts.
Regulator Reiterates Wwft Obligations for Player Behaviour Monitoring
Monitoring player behaviour
The Dutch regulator also used the case to reiterate the wider compliance obligations placed on gambling operators under the Wwft.
Licensed operators are expected to actively monitor player behaviour and respond when unusual financial patterns appear. This can include sudden large deposits, abrupt changes in betting activity or other signals that may suggest potential financial crime risks.
The Ksa has previously warned that even deposits coming from a player’s own bank account can still raise money laundering concerns. For that reason, operators are expected to combine automated monitoring tools with internal procedures that allow suspicious transactions to be reviewed properly.
July Sanction Decision Later Amended by Ksa
Initial sanction decision
The directive forms part of a sanction decision issued by the Dutch Gaming Authority in July 2025 following its investigation into the operator’s AML compliance framework, according to the regulator’s official sanction decision.
Amendment decision
An amendment decision published in October 2025 later adjusted certain elements of the original sanction order, according to the regulator’s official amendment decision. However, the regulator maintained its requirement that the operator strengthen its AML monitoring and compliance systems.
The modification clarified parts of the directive but did not change the regulator’s overall findings.
Follow-Up Compliance Inspection Scheduled
Operator cooperation and corrective actions
Optdeck Service Limited cooperated with the regulator during the investigation and began taking steps to address the issues identified.
According to the Ksa, some corrective actions had already been initiated while the investigation was ongoing. Even so, the regulator plans to conduct a follow-up inspection after the remediation period ends.
This review will determine whether improvements to transaction monitoring, customer due diligence procedures and financial risk thresholds have been properly implemented.
Ongoing regulatory focus
The case highlights the regulator’s ongoing focus on AML compliance within the Netherlands’ regulated gambling market. Authorities have also stepped up enforcement against illegal online gambling operators targeting licensed jurisdictions.
Source : Kansspelautoriteit
