At the end of July, lawyer Benzi Loonstein and a group of eleven gamblers appeared before the District Court of The Hague. They wanted to request their complete transaction history from Unibet, ahead of the legalisation of online gambling in the Netherlands on 1 October 2021.
The attempt was made via a petition, intended as a fast track to gaining access to data.
Attempt via GDPR and duty of disclosure fails
The first route was based on the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The judge ruled that the Dutch implementing law does not apply to foreign companies such as Unibet and Risepoint. This ruled out this option.
The second route made use of the obligation to disclose information under Article 194 of the Code of Civil Procedure. The court found that the gamblers had not sufficiently substantiated their interest.
Arguments about incomplete bank statements or cash deposits with Paysafecards were too vague and not proven in concrete terms.
Procedure changes to summons
The court rejected the petition but did not dismiss the case. Instead, the procedure will be converted to a summons procedure, which is more suitable for this dispute. The case is scheduled for 3 September 2025.
The gamblers must amend their documents and provide better explanations. Unibet and Risepoint will be reimbursed for their legal costs: €1,044 per company, totalling €2,088.
Both parties prepare for follow-up
Both the gamblers and the companies will have to prepare themselves again. During the new procedure, the content of the GDPR request will also be assessed.
The outcome may have consequences for other players who want to request their transaction data from online casinos.