A court has ruled that Sky Betting & Gaming (SBG) breached British data protection regulations after a problem gambler filed a lawsuit against the company.
The individual said to have lost more than £45,000 ($56,000) in bets on the platform, pursued Bonne Terre Ltd, which trades as SBG, with the judge returning his verdict in favor of the claimant.
As reported by iGB, the High Court judge stated the company did not have a lawful basis to gather personal data on the individual using cookies, with a further reprimand for targeting the online gambler for the purposes of direct marketing.
In court, full details on how the person lost the significant sum over 10 years of betting with SBG were disclosed. Justice Collins Rice described the player profiling which happened between 2017 and 2019 as “parasitic”.
The claimant conveyed the argument that Sky Betting should have known that they were dealing with a problem gambler and as a result, personal details should not have been divulged to a third party.
The Flutter Entertainment subsidiary confirmed in a statement that “we fundamentally disagree with this judgment” and that an appeal is being considered.
“We have made significant changes to our controls and processes over the past six years as part of our ongoing investment behind safer gambling and will continue to do so,” added the statement.
Back in November in another high-profile case, the High Court ruled on the side of Flutter.
Data rights agency lauds landmark ruling
Justice Collins Rice noted the ruling was specific to the timeframe when the events happened, with an acknowledgment that industry practices had evolved since then.
The court’s finding has declared Sky Betting legally liable for the data breach but no outcome has yet been reached on redress or compensation for the claimant.
The individual was represented in court by data rights agency AWO, with their statement describing the ruling as a watershed moment for how gambling companies interact with their users.
“The groundbreaking ruling is a legal first for online marketing and the related legal principles and could have major implications for the multi-billion-pound online gambling sector in the UK and the online advertising industry as a whole,” said AWO.
Image credit: Via Midjourney
