Unibet UK: Sports Betting, Casino & Poker Guide

Operated by Platinum Gaming – Since 1997

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✓ Est. 1997 ✓ FDJ Group (French National Lottery) → Platinum Gaming Sites 🎰 Game Studios

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Unibet at a Glance

What Can You Actually Do on Unibet?

Unibet started as a sports betting site and that is still their bread and butter, but over the years they have added pretty much everything else. Sports, casino, live casino, bingo, poker, Slingo, virtual sports... it is a one stop shop for UK players who like a bit of variety.

The setup suits betting fans who want to do a bit of everything. Put a few accumulators on the Premier League, spin some slots while you are waiting for kick off, maybe pop into a bingo room during half time. That is the idea, anyway.

Sports Betting & Racing

Sports is where Unibet made its name, and it shows. Football, horse racing, tennis, golf, cricket, darts: the sports British punters actually bet on. They have got bet builders for combining different bets on the same match, plus cash out on most markets.

The racing section is properly dedicated, not just tacked on. You get every UK and Irish meeting, plus international racing from France, Australia and beyond. Best Odds Guaranteed applies from the morning of race day, so if the price drifts after you have backed something, you get the bigger odds.

Live streaming is included via Unibet TV (you will need a funded account or a recent bet to watch).

There is also virtual racing if you want something to bet on around the clock.

They sponsor the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham and have done since 2018, so you can tell British racing is a priority for them.

Bingo

Let's be honest: Unibet isn't a dedicated bingo site. If you want wall to wall bingo rooms and massive chat communities, somewhere like Mecca Bingo or Buzz Bingo might suit you better.

That said, what they do have is decent. There are several bingo rooms running on Relax Gaming software, a mix of 75 ball and 90 ball games (the traditional formats UK players know).

Tickets start from pennies in the cheaper rooms and go up from there.

Most rooms come with progressive jackpots that can climb into six figures.

Unlike some networks, you can win a slice even if you don't hit the full house in the minimum calls.

It's really aimed at betting fans who want to play a bit of everything while waiting for their slips to come in, rather than serious bingo players looking for dozens of rooms and constant chat. If that sounds like you, it'll do the job nicely.

Casino & Live Casino

The casino section is massive with thousands of games from the big providers: Pragmatic Play, NetEnt, Play n GO, Red Tiger, Blueprint, Big Time Gaming and plenty more. If there's a popular slot, it's probably here.

The live casino lobby runs on Evolution and Pragmatic Play Live. You have got the classic tables (blackjack, roulette, baccarat) plus the big game show style games like Monopoly, Crazy Time and Deal or No Deal. Real dealers, live video, runs around the clock.

They have also got Slingo, that bingo meets slots hybrid, if you fancy something a bit different.

Poker

Here's something that might surprise you: Unibet still has poker. When Kindred restructured in late 2024, they shut poker down in most countries but kept it going in the UK. So if you are after a flutter on the cards, it is still there. You can play in the browser or download the desktop client. Cash games, tournaments, Sit & Go's, the lot.

Virtual Sports

If you want something to bet on when the real football's finished, there's a virtual sports lobby with simulated football, horse racing, greyhounds and more. Games run every few minutes, 24/7. It's random number generator stuff rather than real sport, but some people like it for a quick bet.

Who's Actually Running This?

The company behind Unibet UK is called Platinum Gaming Limited. They are the ones with the gambling licence, and they also run 32Red and Bingo.com, so those are all sister sites under the same roof.

Above them is Kindred Group, which is the Swedish company that grew out of the original Unibet. And since October 2024, the whole lot is owned by FDJ, that is La Française des Jeux, basically the French national lottery. They paid about €2.5 billion for the lot.

The History of Unibet

Sometimes history gets lost. Here is the full story of how a bedroom operation became one of the biggest names in online betting.

The Beginning (1997 to 1999)

Unibet started in 1997 when Anders Ström, a Swedish statistician with a passion for sports betting, set up shop in his flat in Earl's Court, London. No fancy office, no venture capital backing, just a phone line and a vision to build a bookmaker that actually helped punters make smarter bets.

Ström wasn't your typical bookie. His background was in maths and statistics, and he wanted to share that knowledge with customers rather than just take their money. The original idea was simple: give people the information and tools to make informed decisions. No other bookmaker was doing it at the time.

In 1998, he secured a UK betting licence and started taking bets over the phone. A year later, in 1999, the first Unibet website went live, initially just in English and Swedish. The timing was spot on: the internet was exploding and most high street bookies had not cottoned on yet.

Going International (2000 to 2004)

The new millennium brought rapid expansion. Pontus Lesse took over as CEO while Ström became chairman. The company secured an international gambling licence in Malta, which opened the doors to customers across Europe.

By 2001, the Unibet website supported 12 languages. Live betting launched in 2003, a genuine innovation at the time, along with casino games and a mobile platform in 2004. By that point, Unibet had over 300,000 registered customers in more than 100 countries.

The big moment came in 2004 when Unibet Group listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange (Nasdaq Nordic). The company had gone from a one bedroom operation to a publicly traded business in just seven years.

Acquisitions and Multi Brand Strategy (2005 to 2016)

With stock market money behind them, Unibet went on a buying spree:

Year	Acquisition	Significance
2005	Mr Bookmaker (Belgium)	First casino acquisition, entry into Benelux market
2007	Maria Holdings	Added bingo, launched multi brand strategy
2011	Danish licence	One of 48 operators licensed in Denmark's regulated market
2012	Bet24 (Denmark)	Strengthened Nordic position
2014	Kambi spin off	Separated B2B sportsbook arm into independent company
2014	Bingo.com	Paid $8m for the domain and business
2015	iGame (Nordic casino)	€59m initial, plus €20m performance bonus
2015	Stan James Online	£19m for online business (retail shops kept separate)

The Kambi spin off in 2014 was particularly significant. Unibet had built its own sportsbook technology in house, which was good enough to sell to other operators. Rather than run both B2B and B2C businesses, they spun Kambi off as a separate listed company. Kambi went on to become one of the world's leading sportsbook suppliers, processing the first legal online bet in New Jersey in 2018.

In December 2016, shareholders approved renaming the company from Unibet Group Plc to Kindred Group Plc. The change reflected the fact that they now ran multiple brands, not just Unibet.

32Red and Beyond (2017 to 2023)

Two months after the rebrand, Kindred made their biggest acquisition yet: 32Red Plc for £176.5 million ($218m). The Gibraltar based casino operator brought a strong UK customer base and the Rangers FC sponsorship that Unibet would later share.

In 2018, Kindred entered the newly regulated US market through a partnership with Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City. Unibet launched in Pennsylvania in November 2019.

The Stan James online brand was quietly retired in February 2018, with customers migrated to Unibet. The 90+ Stan James retail betting shops were kept separate and later sold. It was a controversial decision as Stan James had been around since 1973 and had a loyal following, particularly among horse racing fans.

In 2021, Kindred acquired the remaining 66.6% of Relax Gaming (their bingo platform provider) for up to €320 million, bringing the technology fully in house.

The FDJ Takeover (2024)

On 22 January 2024, France's national lottery operator FDJ (La Française des Jeux) announced a €2.45 billion bid for Kindred Group. The deal completed in October 2024, with Kindred delisted from the Stockholm Stock Exchange and absorbed into FDJ United.

Anders Ström, who had stepped down as chairman in 2020 after 23 years, remained a shareholder through the sale. In his departure statement back in 2020, he said: "Kindred has undertaken a fantastic journey during the 23 years that have passed since I founded its most well known brand, Unibet."

Platform Evolution

Unibet's sportsbook technology has been through several iterations. They built their own platform in house, then spun off the B2B arm as Kambi in 2014. After years as a Kambi client, Kindred developed their own Kindred Sportsbook Platform (KSP) and now run a hybrid setup using both their own tech and Kambi's odds feed.

The poker network has also evolved, originally on the MPN (Microgaming Poker Network), they moved to a standalone platform in 2013. When Kindred restructured in late 2024, poker was shut in most markets but retained for UK players.

Recognition

Over the years, Unibet picked up several industry awards:

• EGR Sports Betting Operator of the Year: 2006, 2008, 2009
• IGA Sportsbook Operator of the Year: 2014
• EGR Best Poker Marketing Campaign: 2014

Key Figures in Unibet's History

Name	Role	Notes
Anders Ström	Founder	Started Unibet in 1997, Chairman until 2020
Pontus Lesse	CEO	Led expansion 2000 to 2010
Henrik Tjärnström	CEO (Kindred)	Oversaw rebrand and FDJ sale
Kristian Nylén	Kambi co founder	Met Ström at university, built sportsbook tech

Regulatory History

Like most major operators, Unibet has had run ins with regulators:

Date	Regulator	Fine/Action	Reason
Mar 2023	UKGC	£2.9m	AML and social responsibility failures (Platinum Gaming/Unibet)
Oct 2025	UKGC	£10m	AML and problem gambling failures (Platinum Gaming)
Sep 2022	Norway (Lottstift)	NOK 1.2m/day	Unlicensed operation, led to Norway exit in 2023
Dec 2024	Netherlands (KSA)	€400k	Self exclusion register breaches
2020	Sweden	SEK 100m (reduced to 30m)	Bonus rule violations

The Numbers

• Founded: 1997
• Years in operation: 28
• Employees at acquisition: ~1,600
• Registered customers at peak: 33+ million
• FDJ acquisition price: €2.45 billion
• Countries served: 100+

The Sponsorship Stuff

You'll recognise Unibet from a few places:

• Rangers FC: They've been on Rangers shirts since 2014. It's actually the longest running shirt sponsorship in British football, now extended through to 2029.
• Cheltenham Festival: The Champion Hurdle is officially the "Unibet Champion Hurdle" and has been since 2018. That deal runs until 2028.
• Premier League Darts: Title sponsor of the PDC Premier League.

Unibet UKGC Regulatory Fines

Platinum Gaming (the company that holds the UK licence for Unibet, 32Red and Bingo.com) has been fined twice by the UK Gambling Commission:

The first was £2.9 million in March 2023. The Commission found they had failed to properly check where customers' money was coming from, allowed some customers to deposit large amounts without asking questions, and did not act quickly enough when players showed signs of problem gambling.

The second was £10 million in October 2025, a much larger penalty for similar issues. This time the Commission specifically highlighted cases where customers who had self excluded (asked to be blocked) were still able to open accounts and gamble. They also found ongoing weaknesses in how the company identified vulnerable customers.

FDJ, who took over in late 2024, say they have invested in new compliance systems and tightened up processes. The licence remains active and you can still sign up and play, but two fines in three years for the same types of problems is something worth being aware of. The full regulatory history is covered in the history section above.

Similar Sites for UK Players

If you like the look of Unibet, these might also be worth a look:

bet365	Sports first all rounder. Pragmatic Play bingo, racing, Slingo. No poker.
PartyCasino	Strong on poker and live casino. Racing and Slingo. No bingo.
32Red	Sister site, same operator. Casino focused. No bingo or poker.
Betfred	Sports, casino, bingo, lotto. Good racing coverage. No poker.

Sister Sites

Because they're all run by Platinum Gaming, these sites are connected:

32Red	The closest match: same platform, same operator, same games
Bingo.com	Does what it says on the tin: bingo and slots
Maria Casino	Kindred's casino brand, popular in Nordic countries

If you self exclude from one, you should be blocked from all of them. (Though as the fines show, this hasn't always worked perfectly in the past.)

See all Platinum Gaming sites →

Deposits & Withdrawals

The usual UK payment methods are all here: debit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, Skrill, Trustly and bank transfer. Minimum deposit is £10 for most methods, and there are no fees on deposits or withdrawals. E wallets tend to be quickest for cashouts; card withdrawals take a bit longer as you'd expect.

Keeping It Safe

Look, gambling's meant to be entertainment. The minute it stops being fun: the minute you're chasing losses or betting money you can't afford: something's gone wrong.

Unibet has to offer these tools by law:

• Deposit limits (daily, weekly, monthly: you set them)
• Loss limits
• Session time reminders
• Cooling off periods (take a break for a day, a week, a month)
• Self exclusion (6 months minimum)

If you want to block yourself from all UK betting sites, not just Unibet, register with Gamstop. It's free and covers every UKGC licensed site.

Need to talk to someone?

• National Gambling Helpline: 0808 8020 133 (free, 24/7)
• GamCare: live chat and forums
• GambleAware: information and support

The Bottom Line

Unibet's been around since the dial up internet days: nearly three decades from a one bedroom flat in Earl's Court to a €2.5 billion acquisition. Read the history section above if you want the full story; it's quite a journey.

For UK players, it's a proper all rounder. Sports betting is the core strength, especially horse racing with the streaming and Best Odds Guaranteed on British and Irish meetings. The casino's massive. The live casino has all the big games. They still have poker when most others have dropped it. The bingo's there if you want it, though it's not the main event.

The elephant in the room is those UKGC fines. Two in three years for not protecting vulnerable customers is a pattern, not a blip. FDJ says they've sorted it. Time will tell. The licence is active and they're still allowed to operate, but it's information worth having.

If you're going to use them, use the safety tools. Set your limits before you start, not after you've had a bad run.

Is Unibet legit in the UK?

Yes, it is properly licensed for UK players. They hold UKGC licence 45322 under Platinum Gaming Limited. You can check it yourself on the Gambling Commission website. They have been operating since 1997, which makes them one of the oldest online betting sites still going.

How do I sign up to Unibet?

Go to unibet.co.uk and click Join or Register. You will need to enter your name, date of birth, address, email and phone number. Choose a username and password, then verify your email. Unibet will also ask you to verify your identity (photo ID) before you can withdraw, though you can usually deposit and play first. The whole process takes a few minutes.

How do I log in to Unibet?

Go to unibet.co.uk and click Log In at the top right. Enter your username (or email) and password. If you have forgotten your password, click Forgot Password and they will email you a reset link. If your account is locked after too many failed attempts, contact their customer support via live chat.

Who actually owns Unibet?

Short answer: the French national lottery. Longer answer: Unibet is part of Kindred Group, which was bought by FDJ (La Française des Jeux) in October 2024 for about €2.5 billion. In the UK specifically, it is operated by a company called Platinum Gaming Limited.

How old is Unibet?

It started in 1997, so it has been around for nearly 30 years. A Swedish bloke called Anders Ström set it up from his flat in London. He started with phone betting before the website launched in 1999. It is older than most of the betting sites you will find online.

Is Unibet good for horse racing?

It is one of the stronger options for UK punters. You get every British and Irish meeting plus international racing. Best Odds Guaranteed applies from the morning of race day, so if your horse's price drifts you get the better odds. Live streaming via Unibet TV is included (funded account or recent bet required). They sponsor the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham, which tells you racing is a priority.

Does Unibet have bingo?

Yes, though it is not their main focus. There are several bingo rooms running on Relax Gaming software with 75 ball and 90 ball games and tickets starting from pennies. It is aimed at betting fans who want to play a bit of everything rather than dedicated bingo players. If you want wall to wall bingo rooms, a site like Mecca Bingo might suit you better.

Does Unibet still have poker?

Yes, and that is actually unusual now. When they restructured in late 2024, they shut poker in most countries but kept it running in the UK. You can play in the browser or download the desktop client for cash games, tournaments, the lot.

Is Unibet connected to 32Red?

Yes, both run by Platinum Gaming under the same UKGC licence. Same platform, same operator. See all Platinum Gaming sister sites.

Has Unibet been in trouble with the regulator?

Twice recently, yes. They got a £10 million fine in October 2025 and a £2.9 million fine in March 2023, both times for not doing enough to spot problem gambling and for money laundering checks. The licence is still active but it is worth knowing about. Full details on the UKGC register.

What live casino games does Unibet have?

The live casino runs on Evolution and Pragmatic Play Live. You have got classic tables like blackjack, roulette and baccarat, plus the popular game show games such as Monopoly, Crazy Time, Deal or No Deal and others. Real dealers, live video, runs 24/7.

Is this website part of Unibet?

No, we are independent. Glitzy Bingo has been reviewing UK gambling sites since 2007. We are an affiliate partner (meaning we may earn commission if you sign up through our links), but that does not change what we write. We check everything against official sources. Found something wrong? Tell us.