Written By:
Dennis
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Dennis has been honing his craft by writing content specifically tailored to the US and Canadian market for the last 3 years. This helps him recognize the preferences of the audience and adeptly create engaging and informative articles, reviews, and guides that resonate with the readers. He uses his experience reviewing tech products to test out various betting platforms and fact-check claims so you make informed decisions.
Fact Checked By:
Amy Webb
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Amy's introduction to the gambling world was 6 years ago, when she joined a casino operator as a content specialist. Since then, she's helped launch and maintain gambling review sites in over 8 different countries. She's tested dozens of casinos and sportsbooks, which is how she can spot a subpar brand in an instant!
Last Update
9 months ago
Last Update: - 9 months ago
Unibet’s Withdrawal From Ontario Explained
On November 29, 2023, Kindred Group (which owns Unibet) issued a press release stating that it would cease operations in North America (including Ontario, Canada).
And we now have an official date for it as well.
According to a recent communication from Unibet, they will officially exit Ontario on March 26th, 2024.
However, Ontarians have plenty of options to choose from.
Whether you want live streaming, stats, a smooth app, etc., these sportsbooks have you covered.
Unibet Alternatives: 6 Better Sportsbooks for Ontarians
19+. Gambling can be addictive. Please play responsibly.
Furthermore, all the sportsbooks also have an iGO license which makes them perfectly safe for Ontarian users.
If you have an account on Unibet and haven’t withdrawn your winnings, then here’s what you need to know.
What Should Unibet Users Do?
You have until March 25th, 2024 to make withdrawals.
However, Unibet suggests (and I would too) that you submit your withdrawal requests before the deadline, so they have ample time to process your requests.
If you want to make hassle-free withdrawal, the time is now.
Furthermore, there are other things you should know about the platform.
- Sportsbook: Unibet will remove all sportsbook offerings on March 16th, 2024.
- Customer Support: If you have any questions, you can still access support after the exit. However, they do not state how long you can contact their support team.
- Bonuses – Unibet already removed all bonus funds on March 1st, 2024.
- Jackpot Game – They also removed all Progressive Jackpot games on March 4th, 2024.
As you can see, keeping your winnings any longer is only risking them, as Unibet does not have much to offer now.
Hence, let’s focus on withdrawal, and see what modes you use and how fast the withdrawals are.
Plus, some details on how good their support is (just in case you need to contact them for doubts).
Withdrawal Methods on Unibet
For now, Unibet only has two payment methods available: Credit Cards and Interac.
The good thing is that you won’t have to pay any fee for withdrawals.
How Long Does Unibet Take to Pay Out?
Here’s a lowdown on the minimum/maximum withdrawal, time it takes, etc., for each withdrawal mode on Unibet.
PAYMENT METHODS | WITHDRAWAL TIME | MINIMUM WITHDRAWAL | MAXIMUM WITHDRAWAL |
---|---|---|---|
Credit / Debit Card | 1-3 days | $10 | $55,000 |
Interac | 1-3 days | $10 | $9,999 |
While all withdrawal modes have a minimum withdrawal of $10, Debit Cards and Credit Cards are ideal for larger amounts.
However, these can be a tad slower.
If you have a withdrawal sum of less than $10,000, I’d recommend going with Interac.
Note that it’s possible to make withdrawals with currencies other than the ones mentioned, however, these might incur exchange rate fees.
One aspect that I should mention refers to the limits on payouts.
Certain events or sports will have a limit on winnings each bettor can get, which is a disadvantage when compared to other sportsbooks in the market.
Now, I understand you might have questions about withdrawals or the platform, hence, I reviewed their customer support as well.
Customer Support
The support team is available via:
- Live chat, which is online 8 am – 11 pm
- Phone call (8 am – 11 pm)
Along with the customer support team, bettors can take advantage of the multitude of topics covered in the help center, as well as benefit from the community forums.
One negative comment I have seen quite frequently online is that customer support provided by the team can be inconsistent.
Some customers have stated that the answers took some time to be delivered, and in some instances, the support agents didn’t act professionally.
I tested the customer support chat ourselves, and didn’t have this experience.
The support agent was quick to answer and helped me out with our query on payment methods.
Also, note that Unibet also has an AI chatbot.
And while the bot is pretty decent, you’d want to get in touch with the support for specific questions about the brand ceasing operation or withdrawals.
To quickly skip past the bot, simply type ‘speak to agent’.
Why Unibet is Withdrawing
On 26th April 2023, the Kindred Group’s Board of Directors initiated a strategic review of their performance in the North American market.
This led to the resignations of their CEO, Henrik Tjärnström, and CFO, Johan Wilsby, in May 2023 (in hindsight, this was one of the first signs of trouble).
Furthermore, the Q3 2023 profits dropped to $16 million, about $57 million less than Q3 2022.
Talking specifically about Unibet and Ontario, Unibet did not perform as expected in the province.
This is mainly because of its lower market share.
While I cannot give you an exact figure, it is supposed to be in single digits.
This does not come as a surprise since Ontario is an otherwise congested market mainly dominated by brands like Bet99, Betano, Bet365, Betway, etc.
Not to forget, Unibet was also one of four sportsbooks to be fined by AGCO in August 2022 for violating Ontario’s ban on promoting bonuses and other offers in general ads.
Dwindling profits, stiff competition, and trouble with the authorities, are reasons why Unibet is pulling out of Ontario and North America as a whole.
What Next for Unibet and the Kindred Group
One of the reasons stated for the withdrawal was the reallocation of resources to consolidate its core markets. These are mainly the Netherlands and the UK.
In case you did not know, Unibet regained its spot as the #1 sportsbook operator in the Netherlands, with active users seeing a jump of 7% in 2023.
Kindred has also seen positive growth in the UK market, with a 7% improvement compared to 2022 results.
Apart from consolidating in core markets, Kindred has also taken other steps to cut down costs.
This will see a reduction of 300+ employees and consultants in 2024.
The interim CEO, Nils Andén, had this to say about the job cuts and withdrawal.
Quote
Expert Quote
The cost reduction actions announced today are both necessary and decisive. While it is never a desire to inform valued colleagues of redundancies, this puts us in a stronger position to secure long-term growth for Kindred across our locally regulated core markets. We can now focus our resources and tech capacity towards strategic initiatives and selected markets where we see clear potential to grow our market share.
All in all, the company estimates that the cost-cutting measures should see them save around GBP 40 million.
Furthermore, Kindred has also stated that they are also considering a full sale. Whether that goes through or not is yet to be seen.
As for Ontarian users, there’s still plenty of time to make your withdrawals and plenty of better sportsbooks and trusted online casinos to look forward to.
However, the sooner you make the withdrawals and get accustomed to other platforms, the better, as you won’t miss out on important bets.
Plus, you would have safeguarded your winnings.