Ladbrokes may suffer punishment for careless attitude to personal data

The British bookmaker company Ladbrokes may be investigated by the UK Gaming Commission (UKGC) after reporting a leak of customer information in one of its branches in Glasgow (Scotland).

Ladbrokes customers’ confidential information, including names, addresses, and photos, was found in the trash bag on the street behind the bookmaker’s sportsbetting office.

The info included personal data of customers who subscribed to the Ladbrokes’ Multi Operator Self-Exclusion Scheme of the UKGC (MOSES), which allows players and vulnerable people to voluntarily exclude themselves from all types of gambling, including prohibiting themselves from using ground-based casinos and bets. Such lists are received from UKGC and distributed in their offices so that employees can identify self-excluded clients.

As the Ladbrokes spokesman said, now the bookmaker is conducting their own investigation of this incident, and they also reminded their employees of the rules of handling personal information of customers in accordance with the current UK data protection law once again.

Tim Miller, the Executive Director of the UK Gambling Commission, said, “Clients hope that after their personal data are distributed to operators, they will be protected properly. We expect that gambling operators will adhere to all data protection laws and regulations that are applied by the Office of Information. In this case, when personal data has been compromised, we expect that the bookmaker will make every effort to minimize the damage caused.”

Mark Etch, the Executive Director of the GambleAware charity, expressed the hope that this event will not deter other problem players from the self-exclusion system. “We really hope that this situation will not force anyone to abandon self-exclusion since the studies published in March 2017 showed that 83% of those who used it, were convinced that this scheme is effective, although we will always recommend professional treatment. Self-exclusion is often the last measure for those already suffering from gambling addiction and it is important that we identify those at risk as early as possible and are able to prevent the worsening of the problem. “

Recently, a new system of self-exclusion MOSES was introduced in the UK. It will help people fight their addiction more effectively. With the self-exclusion system, residents can limit their access to gambling for a period of one year. The Senet Group, a regulatory gambling body created by 4 leading bookmakers in 2014, manages this scheme.