The Dutch Gaming Authority (Ksa) has issued a directive to Optdeck Service Limited for violating the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act (Wwft).

Optdeck Service Limited offers gambling services in the Netherlands under the name Unibet.

The directive states, among other things, that customer due diligence by Unibet is not being performed well enough. For instance, transaction monitoring and control measures do not align well with Unibet’s policy in practice. Additionally, Unibet must adjust its policy, particularly regarding financial thresholds (the point at which a player is assigned a high AML risk and an investigation into the player’s source of funds is subsequently conducted), so that these become effective in the ongoing monitoring of players and their transactions.

The Ksa has the important task of overseeing compliance with the Wwft by gambling providers to prevent money laundering and underlying criminality and to protect the financial system. Therefore, the Ksa conducts ongoing investigations into this matter at various providers.

Gambling providers must monitor the behavior of their players and take action if there is unusual behavior. Examples of this include when a player suddenly deposits large amounts or if there is a suspicion of match-fixing. In its Wwft Guidelines, the Ksa previously pointed out the risk of large deposits, even when these originate from the player’s bank account.

With this instruction, Unibet is urged to cease the various violations. During the investigation, Unibet adopted a cooperative attitude and proactively worked on a remediation plan. Some violations were already terminated during the investigation. The Ksa will conduct a follow-up check after the expiration of the term.