Home British High Court rules Sky Bet breached data law

British High Court rules Sky Bet breached data law

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

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The ReadWrite Editorial policy involves closely monitoring the tech, gambling and blockchain industries for major developments, new product and brand launches, AI breakthroughs, game releases and other newsworthy events. Editors assign relevant stories to in-house staff writers with expertise in each particular topic area. Before publication, articles go through a rigorous round of editing for accuracy, clarity, and to ensure adherence to ReadWrite's style guidelines.

Graeme Hanna
Tech Journalist

Graeme Hanna is a full-time, freelance writer with significant experience in online news as well as content writing. Since January 2021, he has contributed as a football and news writer for several mainstream UK titles including The Glasgow Times, Rangers Review, Manchester Evening News, MyLondon, Give Me Sport, and the Belfast News Letter. Graeme has worked across several briefs including news and feature writing in addition to other significant work experience in professional services. Now a contributing news writer at ReadWrite.com, he is involved with pitching relevant content for publication as well as writing engaging tech news stories.

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