Amsterdam court orders Unibet to release transaction data for damage claims

Gambling company Unibet must provide transaction data to consumers if they request it, the court in Amsterdam ruled on Friday during summary proceedings brought by a consumer against Unibet.

According to Benzi Loonstein, the consumer’s attorney, this is the first verdict that states that Unibet has to deliver documents that the consumer is requesting. “If they fail to do so, a penalty of up to 1 million euros will be imposed,” said Loonstein.

Until 2021, Unibet was among several gambling providers operating in the Netherlands without a license. Loonstein argues that this makes the bets unlawful. Last year, various courts ruled that online gambling providers had to refund those bets. Access to transaction data is considered a crucial first step for consumers seeking to reclaim lost funds.

Loonstein said that he is pursuing multiple legal cases against the Maltese gambling company Unibet on behalf of several individuals and large groups. “We prioritized a few individual cases because they move faster. We will now do the same in other cases, and ultimately for the many thousands of people affected by this,” he said.

In May, Unibet decided to give former footballer Tom Beugelsdijk, who was also defended by Loonstein, access to his transaction data. This happened shortly before the start of summary proceedings that Beugelsdijk had initiated against Unibet with the district court in The Hague. The former ADO Den Haag defender wants to use the data to demand a refund of around 100,000 euros.

Because Beugelsdijk’s transaction data was sent after all, the original need for the summary proceedings disappeared, and the court did not issue a ruling in that case. “Now, Unibet has been reprimanded by the court. It is a right to receive your own data,” Loonstein said in response to the verdict by the Amsterdam court.