Online bookies accused of UK privacy breaches with use of cookie banners
A Guardian investigation finds that most gambling websites nudge users towards accepting tracking data and harvest it before consent is given, study shows.
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The problem
A study of 624 licensed British gambling websites found that 86% appeared to breach at least one GDPR requirement. Two-thirds reportedly began sharing data with third-party platforms before consent was given, while many used design tactics that made accepting tracking easier than rejecting it. In a sector where behavioural data can be used to encourage continued gambling, poor consent practices are not just a privacy issue—they are a serious consumer-protection risk.
The solution
Having revealed tracking, data leakage and potential compliance failures occurring before a visitor has made a choice, operators need a clear, actionable guidance to fix problems, assuming they have the ambition to do so. Standards like MyTerms which enable people to communicate their privacy preferences automatically through a simple, machine-readable signal are a clear emerging solution, where MyTerms helps organisations move beyond manipulative cookie banners towards transparent, permission-led digital relationships.
If you would like to find out more, arrange a Proof of Concept (PoC) or discovery session for your business then please contact us.
