Unibet’s closure of its US sites in New Jersey and Pennsylvania is imminent, with the specific dates now set in stone. Last year, Unibet’s parent company, Kindred Group, announced that it would pull out of the market by the end of June. It is now planning to wind down its New Jersey operations a little ahead of schedule, while Pennsylvania will carry on slightly longer.
Visitors to the two sites now see the dates announced in a pop-up on the front page:
- Unibet New Jersey will shut down on May 14, 2024.
- Unibet Pennsylvania will shut down on June 21, 2024.
Mohegan Sun will replace the Unibet PA site with one using its own brand. However, it doesn’t appear that existing Unibet customers will be transitioned automatically to the new site. In both states, Unibet is asking users to ensure they withdraw all funds before the shutdown date. Any users requiring a tax form for their winnings should likewise download it before the site shuts down.
In the meantime, minimum withdrawal limits have been waived. So, even users with only a few dollars or cents in their account can retrieve their money. However, the site cautions users to expect slower-than-normal withdrawal times due to the volume of requests.
Users will not be able to deposit for each site’s final month of operation. The cutoff dates are as follows:
- No further deposits on Unibet NJ starting tomorrow, April 5.
- No further deposits on Unibet PA beginning May 21.
Unibet’s Brand Failed to Resonate With Americans
Although it’s a famous brand in Northern Europe, Unibet has never had much traction in the American market. As its performance in Pennsylvania slumped in 2022, it scaled back its ambitions and aimed to make itself a “top ten” operator, a goal that would have required hanging on to perhaps 2% of the market. Even that proved too much to handle, however. By the time of its November 2023 announcement, its market share in Pennsylvania had dropped to just 1.1%.
(Individual operator market shares in New Jersey aren’t currently available, although they will be soon.)
Unibet has not been alone in its struggles. The US online casino and sports betting market has seen a wave of exits, most of them in the past year and a half. Other brands that have left the market or are preparing to include:
- 888/SI Casino/SI Sportsbook
- WynnBet (except Nevada)
- TwinSpires
- MaximBet
- Fubo Sportsbook
- Vie.gg
In some cases, the issue has been product quality, but that’s not likely the case for Unibet. Rather, its brand—though popular in Europe—probably didn’t have the same appeal for American gamblers as the familiar retail casino chains and daily fantasy sports brands. All the companies doing well in the US fit into one of those two categories.
Unibet was an early entrant in the Pennsylvania market and was doing well there for a time. Its market share peaked at a respectable 11.4% in July 2020. However, it quickly lost out to the likes of BetMGM, FanDuel and Caesars—late arrivals with more recognizable names.
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