Kindred Group is a recognizable company that is a parent to many popular betting and gaming brands. Currently, the company together with its subsidiary, Trannel International Ltd, offers its services via the Unibet brand to customers in Poland.
However, this offering, according to one legal Polish group, is against the established online gambling regulations. As announced by local media outlets, Graj Legalnie, an association that combats unlawful gambling in Poland, recently criticized Kindred for depriving the Polish State Treasury of millions of zloty.
French Government-Owned FDJ Is Kindred’s Parent
Unibet currently offers its services under a license from the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA). However, the operator doesn’t hold a Polish gambling license, despite offering its services to customers in the country, the association argued. This sparked criticism, considering that the Republic of France is the largest shareholder in FDJ, Kindred Group’s owner.
This notable and concerning connection captured the attention of Graj Legalnie, with the association’s president, Zdzisław Kostrubała, arguing that Kindred with its Unibet brand, operated illegally for years in Poland’s online gambling vertical. Equally as concerning, Kostrubała said that the brand operated without the necessary license.
Open Letter Sent to the French Ambassador to Poland
Considering the situation, Graj Legalnie addressed its concerns in an open letter to the French ambassador to Poland. In its letter, the association urged the ambassador to take action against the company that is offering its services illegally to customers in Poland.
The Association estimates that Unibet offered its services to Polish customers for at least five years. Moreover, it requested a formal and adequate response to the concerning matter in the context of the Republic of France being a major shareholder in Kindred’s parent company.
It is yet to be confirmed what other issues the open letter to the French ambassador to Poland addressed. What’s more interesting would be the response of the ambassador and whether or not Kindred would consider pulling its Unibet brand from the market in question.
Undoubtedly, the majority shareholding of France in FDJ complicates the matter. Still, challenges regarding jurisdiction coverage and offering in the iGaming vertical are not uncommon. While some European countries enforce tough restrictions when it comes to online gambling, such as the Netherlands, for example, others tend to be more lax.