Unibet Is Warned by the Danish Regulator for Breaching Money Laundering Law

Denmark’s Spillemyndigheden, which is the country’s gambling regulator, has warned Unibet, a brand by Kindred Group, after ruling that it breached the regulations concerning money laundering. Kindred Group also ceased its operations in the Netherlands recently.

Suspicious Activity Took Place Between 2016 and 2018

The money laundering case is tied to a customer of Unibet who made $212,527 (DKK1.4 million) in deposits between December 2016 and December 2018. The suspicious activity was uncovered because Unibet did not originally confirm whether the funds originated from criminal-related activities. 

As the Spillemyndigheden ruled, Unibet breached the Money Laundering Act’s sections 10 (1), 11 (1)(4), 17 (1), and 25 (1). That is why it ordered both Kindred and Unibet to notify the Money Laundering Secretariat of Denmark of the suspicious activities. The Money Laundering Secretariat is a unit within the State Prosecutor, and as Spillemyndigheden reported today (December 13), Unibet still hasn’t complied with the request, even though it has a deadline of 2 weeks to do so. Hence, Unibet was reprimanded, and Spillemyndigheden informed the Money Laundering Secretariat of the problem.

Proof of Funds Revealed that the Player Was Way Over His Budget

Spillemyndigheden revealed that the deposits between 2016 and 2018 are in direct violation of the laws due to the fact that Unibet noted in 2015 that the player would need to be kept under a watchful eye if he starts playing. At the time, the player was inactive. 

But, even though proof of origin of the funds was requested by Unibet in December 2018 and the documentation revealed that the amount that the player used for gambling was way above his income, Spillemyndigheden stated that the operator allowed the player to make deposits that totaled around $273,000 (DKK1.8 million) from 2019 all the way to April 2020. This was when the player’s account was shut down. 

Spillemyndigheden Faced A Similar Issue With 888 Denmark in 2019 

This is not the first time where a reputable brand has been under the scrutiny of the Danish gambling regulator. In 2019, Spillemyndigheden also issued a warning to 888 Denmark Limited as the regulator’s investigation showed that the operator did not comply with protocols in sections 25 (1) and 26 (1). 

In this case, a certain player deposited more than $150,000 (DKK1 million) over the course of three months. After that, the player deposited over $90,000 (DKK600,000) in just a few days, and this is when 888 requested proof of funds. The main problem here was that even though the player did not provide any relevant documentation, 888 Denmark continued to accept bets from him. 

Then, 888 Denmark failed to report this case to State Prosecutor for Serious Economic and International Crime.