ICO Acts Against Sky Betting for Sharing Users Data
Sky Betting & Gaming has been reprimanded for unauthorized sharing of customers' information with third-party advertising companies.
Sky Betting & Gaming attributed the unintended data sharing incident to a technical error.
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:According to the UK data regulator, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), it launched an investigation into Bonne Terre Ltd, trading as Sky Betting & Gaming, after receiving a formal complaint from the campaign group Clean Up Gambling.
The group alleged that Sky Betting & Gaming was improperly using customers' data to target vulnerable gamblers. However, the ICO stated that its investigation yielded no evidence to substantiate Clean Up Gambling's claims that Sky Betting & Gaming had intentionally targeted the said category of gamblers.
Instead, the regulator discovered that the company had collected and processed users' data via advertising cookies without consent from January to March 2023. Sky Betting & Gaming then reportedly transmitted the data to advertising tech firms, depriving users of the opportunity to opt-in or opt-out of cookie tracking.
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ICO Targets Advertising Cookie Misuse
The ICO's latest move is part of a wider strategy of ensuring websites adhere to data protection regulations, especially regarding advertising cookies. Following a 2022 review, the regulator found that over half of top UK online casinos are non-compliant with advertising cookie rules.
We've all seen adverts online that seem designed specifically for us, such as an ad for trainers after signing up for a gym online. Some people may be happy to consent to receive these but others may not be comfortable receiving similar adverts, especially when it comes to sensitive aspects of our digital activity. For example, if you are visiting a gambling website or looking up health symptoms, you may want to prevent this personal information from being shared with advertisers.
Responding to the ICO's findings, Sky Betting & Gaming stated that it "welcomes the clearance of allegations" after a thorough 18-month investigation. It also attributed the "unintended data sharing incident" to a technical error, which it rectified within 24 hours of discovering it.
While Sky Betting & Gaming licenses the Sky broadcasting group, it operates as a separate entity. In 2018, the betting company was sold to The Stars Group for $4.7 billion and merged with Flutter the following year.
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