The chief executive of online gaming company Unibet Group has been arrested in the Netherlands on a French warrant, the company said Tuesday.
Petter Nylander was detained Monday while checking in for a flight from the Netherlands to Britain, the company said in a statement.
The arrest followed proceedings filed in 2006 by the French lottery monopoly Francaise des Jeux and horse betting monopoly PMU against Unibet, alleging breach of the French national laws dating back to 1836 and 1891, the company said.
"Unibet is outraged by France's total disregard of European Community law aiming to protect a domestic commercial gambling monopoly, which is being challenged by the European Commission. However disturbing French authorities' methods are, for Unibet it is business as usual," the company said in a statement.
Unibet's chief financial officer and deputy CEO Ragnar Hellenius is temporarily serving as Chief executive, the company said.
"This situation is clearly unacceptable and extraordinary in ours and in any industry. It is our view that this use of the possibility for cross-border legal actions is a clear abuse of their true aim, and in all aspects, disproportionate," Hellenius said.