UK High Court Rules Sky Betting & Gaming Illicitly Used Gambler’s Data for Marketing

Posted by author January 31, 2025 Gambling

The UK High Court has ruled that gambling company Sky Betting & Gaming, under Flutter Entertainment, illegally used a customer’s data for marketing purposes without consent.

Justice Collins Rice ruled that Bonne Terre Ltd., the operator of Sky Betting, had violated UK data protection laws. This decision comes after Sky Betting made a deal with Hacksaw Gaming in November 2024 to bolster content in the UK and Ireland.

It found Sky Betting liable for collecting and processing personal data through cookies without consent and sharing it with third parties for targeted marketing campaigns between 2017 and 2019.

Ravi Naik, an AWO data rights group lawyer and the claimant’s representative, said: “Hopefully this judgment will reduce harm to vulnerable people by serving as a warning to online gambling companies.”

The civil case’s claimant lost over £45,000 ($56,000) with Sky Betting & Gaming for nearly a decade. They contended that the operator should have recognized they were suffering from gambling addiction and, therefore, avoided sending promotional material.

The High Court shared the claimants’ sentiment, ruling that the company had no lawful reason for collecting and processing the data at the time. In September 2024, the ICO warned Sky Betting over its data protection practices.

The judge stated that the decision was made in light of the case’s unique circumstances and emphasized that industry policies and practices have changed since then.

A Sky Betting & Gaming spokesperson said: “We fundamentally disagree with this judgment and will be considering an appeal.

“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.”

In the past, the UK Gambling Commission fined Sky Betting £1.17 million ($1.44 million) for sending promotional material to users who had refused to receive marketing.

Sky Betting & Gaming has stated that it surveys any signs of vulnerabilities amongst its users and enforces deposit limits on customers who resume gambling after a self-exclusion phase.