Kindred Group hard hit as Netherlands regulation causes headaches for operators

It is not just the United Kingdom where gambling regulation is causing headaches for operators, with the launch of a fully regulated online market in the Netherlands last week prompting a number of firms to withdraw their services to the country, if only temporarily.

Kindred Group, the parent of Unibet, is one of the hardest hit, with the company revealing that its decision to pull out would reduce its group Ebitda (earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation) by around £12 million a month.

Last week the Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA) announced the recipients of the first ten licences before the launch of the regulated online gambling market on October 1. Bet365 were successful, but a number of other major names – the KSA said it had received a total of 29 applications – missed out.