STS Gaming Group takes legal action against Kindred

Online gambling operator Kindred has been sued by STS Gaming Group for alleged illegal operation of the brand Unibet in Poland. According to the Polish sports betting operator, Kindred does not have a license to offer its services in the region.

Unibet has been ordered to leave by the Poland operator for a year now, yet the company has refused to oblige. STS Gaming Group also claims that the bookmaker has been changing its operational name as these names keep appearing on the list of illegal operators.

Kindred was also fined for the same reason in Norway, and the operator came up with the same defense of owning a license in Malta, claiming it is thereby allowed to trade all over the European Union.

READ: Kindred Group to exit Germany following court case in Norway

Just like the Norwegian authorities claimed during their conflict with Kindred, STS Gaming Group says the continuation of Unibet’s activities will only put Polish gamers at high risk since they will be utilizing an unregulated gaming provider.

Kindred will likely face a fine of US$6.3 million for targeting Polish customers, and another fine of $670,000 for operating in the region without a license.

A number of regulators worldwide have taken aim at Kindred this year. In August, the company was sued by the Ontario Alcohol and Gaming Commission (AGCO) for Unibet’s alleged involvement in violations of anti money laundering (AML) laws. More recently, the operator was fined $1.03 million by the Swedish Gaming Authority (Spelinspektionen) due to regulatory breeches.

STS board member Zdzisław Kostrubała said Unibet refused to exit the market in 2017 when Kindred ended its license in Poland due to the regulator’s introduction of a 12% gross tax on operators.

“While some gambling companies, after the entry into force of the 2017 amendment to the gambling act, withdrew from illegally offering gambling games in the territory of PL companies – Unibet continues to provide services in Poland, clearly violating the provisions of Polish law,” he said.

“We hope that the operator will quickly comply with this provision. We are pleased with the court’s decision, which is a precedent and gives hope for the elimination of unfair competition in the betting market.”

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