The bookmaker Unibet is once again being prosecuted by the Dutch government - this time for excessive advertising during Feyenoord Rotterdam’s Centenary tournament several weeks ago. The spokesman for the Minister of Justice has denounced the actions which contravene the online gaming laws in force in the Netherlands.

Last August, Feyenoord Rotterdam football club celebrated its centenary. To commemorate the event, the club organised a mini-tournament in the De Kuip stadium featuring three other European teams: Borussia Dortmund, Tottenham and Glasgow Celtic. Unibet took advantage of this unique occasion to bedeck the stadium with advertisements for its website, in order to associate the bookmaker with this tournament.

Six months ago, the European Commission issued a reasoned opinion and guaranteed the free promotion and provision of services in Holland following the appearance of new types of gambling. Unibet had therefore based its actions on this decision when increasing the number of advertisements in Feyenoord’s stadium.

However, the bookmaker had already received a warning from the Dutch government following an advertising campaign on bus shelters. Crucially, Unibet had already been banned from advertising by a Dutch court, but that was prior to the European Commission’s verdict.