{
  "id": 7767925,
  "title": "Nine in 10 UK gambling websites breach data privacy law, study finds",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/nine-in-10-uk-gambling-websites-breach-data-privacy-law-study-finds",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-16T11:00:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-09-uk-gambling-websites-breach-privacy.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A study conducted by the Gambling Research, Education and Treatment (GREAT) Center at Swansea University reveals that nearly 90% of UK-licensed online gambling websites are in violation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The research, published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior Reports, examined the cookie consent banners and network traffic of all 624 licensed casino and sports betting sites. In a follow-up experiment involving 615 UK online gamblers, the study found that the current consent banner design used by most casinos made participants three to four times more likely to accept tracking compared to a neutral, one-click alternative. Participants who accepted tracking also rated their choice as a poorer reflection of their actual privacy preferences, indicating that the design choice, rather than the user's preferences, influenced their decision. The researchers argue that the collected data supports personalized marketing and cross-web tracking of gambling customers, and that the data's commercial value overlaps with behavioral markers of gambling harm. Lead researcher Jack McGarrigle stated that the audit of every licensed UK gambling site showed that most are not providing customers with a fair choice regarding tracking, with some offering a single click to accept and up to 15 to refuse. The study's supervisor, Professor Simon Dymond, emphasized that the data collection methods used are not neutral and can identify risk factors for gambling harm, making it crucial for the industry to get consent right as part of preventing such harm.",
  "summary": "Nearly nine in 10 (86%) UK-licensed online gambling websites are operating in breach of the General Data Protection Regulation, according to new research from the Gambling Research, Education and Treatment (GREAT) Center at Swansea University published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior Reports.",
  "key_points": [
    "90% of UK gambling sites violate GDPR",
    "Consent banners influence users' privacy choices",
    "Personalized marketing benefits from collected data"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}