Nine in ten UK gambling websites breach data privacy law, study finds

What the study found

Researchers at Swansea University’s Gambling Research, Education and Treatment Centre audited the cookie consent banners and network traffic of all 624 casino and sports betting websites licensed by the Gambling Commission.

They found 86% were operating in breach of data protection law. Two-thirds began collecting personally identifiable data before any consent was given, almost a quarter offered no way to refuse tracking at all, and only 29% of banners let users reject tracking as easily as accept it — on some sites refusal took 15 clicks.

The design problem

In a follow-up experiment with 615 UK online gamblers, the consent banner design most used across the industry made people three to four times more likely to accept tracking than a neutral one-click alternative. Participants who accepted rated the choice as a far poorer reflection of their real privacy preferences.

In other words, the design — not the user — is driving the outcome on most gambling sites.

Where we stand

THUNDRSS was built the other way: optional tracking stays off unless you choose it, rejection takes one tap, and the whole site works after you reject. This study is a useful reminder that on most gambling sites, “accept all” is the path of least resistance by design — so check what you are agreeing to.

Sources

Official support services