Gambling Operators Accused of Sharing Data with Facebook

Gambling Companies Accused of Illegally Sharing User Data with Facebook

By Amelia Walker Senior Content Writer Updated: 12 February 2025

Amelia Walker Senior Content Writer

Amelia Walker is a Senior Content Writer at Betting.US. She has a law degree and deep knowledge of the gambling laws in the United States. Her mission is to keep players informed about responsible gambling, while her passion for sports helps her create useful guides. Amelia has over a decade of experience in betting, which has positioned her as a trusted voice among our readers.

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Violations of Data Protection Laws

This information was released in a recent report by The Guardian. According to data that was collected by the sister paper The Observer, many UK gambling operators abused tracking software on their platforms. The method in question is Meta Pixel, a tracking tool hidden on the platforms.

This software tracks what users do on the platform and extracts the data. This mainly concerns what pages the users view and the buttons that they click. This information is collected and sent to Meta. The mega corporation then uses this data to make profiles of these users and brand them as likely gamblers.

Of course, you can see where this may end up. Once Meta profiles a user as a potential gambler, their Facebook accounts will be swarmed with advertisements about various gambling activities, such as online casinos, betting sites, and other websites with the same characteristics.

According to The Observer’s research, there were many instances where a user’s data was collected even before being allowed to consent or decline marketing data collection. If this is proven to be true in an official investigation, then it will be a serious violation of data protection laws.

During its research, The Observer tested 150 gambling websites operating in the UK market, such as virtual casinos, online sportsbooks, and even bingo platforms. The results were more than scary when it was uncovered that over 50 of these gambling operators were sending user data to Meta without any consent.

This hidden tool, Meta Pixel, was abused by all 50+ platforms to gather and send data even before users got the pop-up message to accept or decline marketing cookies. Unfortunately, high-profile companies like Bwin, Hollywoodbets, Lottoland, and Sporting Index were present among those 50+ websites.

Potential Results from These Violations

While an official investigation is still underway and no additional information has been disclosed, the Information Commissioner’s Officer (ICO) warned that such breaches of data protection laws will entail severe fines and enforcement actions. The penalties can be up to £500,000 ($619,000).

Besides the financial repercussions, companies found guilty of such transgressions will face damage to their public image and a potential loss of license. Depending on each company’s count and depth of violations, other legal actions may be taken, such as incarceration.

The Effect on Players

Other potential risks of such data collection are outside the material realm. As we mentioned, once a user is profiled, this data collection results in aggressive, targeted marketing and advertisements for gambling activities. This brings a new level of risk for individuals who are pre-disposed to addictive gambling behavior or below the allowed minimum gambling age.

Conclusion

After The Observer’s investigation, some companies that were found to collect user data illegally have already changed their platform policies to stop automatic data collection. In response to this situation, Meta advises that advertisers be held accountable for obtaining consent for data collection.