French Regulator Fines Unibet.fr Operator €800,000
Key Takeaways
The French gambling authority ANJ has fined SPS Betting, the operator of Unibet.fr, €800,000. The reason was a technical error in the self-exclusion system, which allowed banned players to continue playing. The issue persisted for nearly 22 months and affected thousands of users.
Background of the Fine
On January 22, 2025, the ANJ’s sanctions committee imposed the fine on SPS Betting. The error in Unibet.fr’s self-exclusion feature resulted in players who intended to exclude themselves for several months being banned for only a few days. This violated French player protection regulations.
The ANJ’s investigation found that the issue first appeared in 2021 and primarily affected iOS users. The exclusion periods were mistakenly shortened, meaning that players who requested a twelve-month ban were only excluded for twelve days.
Technical Error and Impact
The error persisted from March 2, 2021, to December 11, 2022. A system update caused the issue to reappear between December 29, 2022, and February 2, 2023. In total, the malfunction lasted nearly 22 months.
During this time, thousands of banned players were able to continue betting on Unibet.fr. This undermined a key responsible gambling measure designed to help players take a controlled break from gambling.
Imposed Sanctions
Due to the severity and duration of the violation, the sanctions committee imposed the following measures:
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- A fine of €800,000
- Publication of the decision in the Official Journal of the French Republic
- Mandatory publication of a notice on the homepage of Unibet.fr and in the app from March 17 to March 31, 2025
- Non-anonymized publication of the decision on the ANJ website until March 3, 2026
SPS Betting has the right to appeal to the French Council of State (Conseil d’État) within two months of notification.
Our Assessment
The fine against SPS Betting highlights the importance of a functioning self-exclusion system for players. Technical errors in this area can have serious consequences, especially for vulnerable players. The long duration of the issue and the repeated malfunction after an update emphasize that gambling operators must regularly review and improve their systems.
The ANJ’s measures send a clear message about player protection in France. Operators should ensure that their technical systems function reliably to avoid regulatory penalties and promote responsible gambling.
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