Companies that provide gambling services online must complete collecting and processing personal data so they can provide people with a tailored gaming experience. By doing this they can take personal preference into account when deciding which offers and bonuses to make available for their players. In addition to this they also need to gather and use financial data, in order to allow customers to deposit and withdraw cash from their gaming account.
As of May 25 2018, all gambling firms that process information relating to customers who live within the European Union will need to adhere with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) when they are managing this data.
Data Portability Consequences for Gambling Companies
One of the main consequences for gambling firms, when it comes to GDPR compliance, is data portability. This refers to the fact that customers have the right to seek details of personal data held, by commonly used methods such as email, and also that they can also ask for data to be sent to another company. This is only relevant for data that has been obtained with the consent of a person.
Ultimately, the ramification of this for gambling companies is that they might have to transfer customer data to a rival.
Other GDPR Considerations for Gambling Companies
Data portability is not the sole consideration for gambling companies regarding the introduction of GDPR. They must take the following concerns into account:
- Displaying compliance – all firms must will need to be able to show that they are adhering with the GDPR. This means recording certain things including consent.
- Each EU Member State will come under a different Lead Supervisory Authority. This means that some gambling firms may have to report to more than one Authority.
- Most firms that manage large scale data processing will need to employ a Data Protection Officer (DPO) who needs to be an expert in the area.
Taking all of these things into account, it is easy to see that the introduction of GDPR could have a major affect on gambling firms.