In an opinion piece published on the news website PoliticsHome, Lord Foster of Bath warned how a new Data Protection and Digital Information (DPDI) Bill could result in companies, particularly those belonging to the gambling industry, being given the freedom to take advantage of customers’ data.
According to Lord Foster, data abuse is an already existing issue, as gambling companies are allegedly utilising client information to target bettors and convince them to spend more money on gambling. He specifically cited the practice of determining whether self-excluded individuals could be enticed to start gambling again and how profitable this would be for a gambling business, as well as more typical yet still egregious practices that have to do with the targeting of customers via personalised gambling ads.
The above described data usage is in breach of the UK’s current General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and the said law does have the capacity to tackle the issue. Moreover, in UK legislation, there is a clear distinction between what form of data usage is considered responsible and what is not. Lord Foster also stressed that an ongoing investigation by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is set to address the aforementioned violations, and UK clients, in general, do have a way of holding gambling businesses accountable if they believe their data rights have been breached.
Lord Foster further argued the DPDI Bill would introduce “a range of permissible uses of data” that would “remove any consideration for the impact on individuals.” Essentially, companies would be given much more freedom in how they can use client data to the detriment of gamblers’ safety. Lord Foster continued, stressing how customers would also have a harder time reporting abuse since, according to a study, as many as 20 months at the least could be the waiting time before a complaint is determined by regulators.
Gambling Ads Are Particularly Dangerous for Problem Gamblers
A situation that reflects the issue of the advertisement of gambling is that of Andy May, who, as previously reported by Casino Guardian, spoke with the BBC on how gambling addiction has affected his life. In recounting his journey to recovery, Mr May mentioned that it was a TV ad offering a free bet that led to him once again falling victim to problem gambling after his first successful attempt at quitting.
In neighbouring Ireland, government officials are even looking into banning the airing of ads related to gambling between 5:30am and 9pm as part of the Irish government’s proposed Gambling Regulation Bill, although this particular proposal has been met with pushback from the Irish horse racing industry.
As for the UK, the government’s Gambling White Paper contains a section dedicated to advertising that explicitly describes how gambling advertisements “can have a disproportionate impact” on individuals who are struggling with problem gambling and how certain “aggressive marketing practices” can be harmful and appeal to both children and young adults. Given the severity of this issue, the White Paper does contain proposals that aim to better regulate the promotion of gambling and specifically how bonuses are advertised, seeing as they are “the forms of advertising most likely to impact an individual’s gambling behaviour.” As highlighted by Lord Foster, however, the DPDI Bill, if it is not amended, could actually worsen the current situation.
- Author
Daniel Williams
