SPS Betting, operator of Kindred Group’s Unibet brand, has been fined €800,000 for failing to meet France’s self-exclusion system requirements, as ruled by the ANJ sanctions committee on 3 March.
Based in Malta, SPS Betting holds three French licenses covering online betting, horseracing, and circle games, operating through Unibet.fr. The ruling cited a long-term “malfunction” on Unibet’s iOS platform that hindered player self-exclusion between March 2021 and December 2022. The issue resurfaced in late December 2022 and persisted until February 2023.
Reports first emerged in 2021, revealing that self-exclusion requests were processed in days instead of months. As a result, 6,754 players were affected, unable to exclude themselves for the intended duration. Under France’s 2010 gambling act, players must be allowed to self-exclude for any period between 24 hours and 12 months.
The ANJ deemed the prolonged nature and severity of the issue to warrant both the fine and a public sanction. SPS Betting must display the ruling on its Unibet.fr website and mobile apps from 17 to 31 March. The operator has two months to appeal the decision before the Council of State.
In its ruling, the ANJ emphasized the company’s market influence in online sports betting and circle games, stating that the breach carried “significant gravity.”
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