The threat imposed by gambling addiction cannot be emphasized enough. Thus, Gamstop offers a self-exclusion program to UK punters to help them avoid gambling for a specific time period. It is important for individuals to know about the treatment of data collected to avoid liabilities under the data protection legislation since Gamstop handles a large volume of data.
Why Is Data Collection Required?
In order to successfully actualize the goal of Gamstop and to lessen the odds of breaching the contract with users under the terms and conditions of use, it is important to identify the participants and users of the scheme. This identification is achieved through the collection of gamers’ personal data and is a prerequisite. This data collected is utilized by Gamstop to amplify the functionality of its services and comply with a legal directive. Today, when many UK players want to remove data from GamStop self-exclusion service, turned out that this is not so easy to do. Personal data is also collected from punters who are yet to register with Gamstop through interaction over the phone, interaction with family and friends of the gambler, etc.
Gathering personal data is a mandatory step for the users of Gamstop who wish to self-exclude themselves. Without collecting data, the service will not effectively function. Compulsory data required includes:
- Full name with surname
- The correct date of birth
- Correct contact number which would be registered under self-exclusion
- The correct email address which would be registered under self-exclusion
These data are secured under Gamstop through multiple sophisticated technical measures like hashing personal data received and exchanging them via a secure API Link with service partners. However, Gamstop does not have access to data if punters access casino platforms not on Gamstop and operate under overseas licenses like Curacao, Malta, and Kahnawake. These casinos are not linked to the National Scheme and do not come under the UKGC rules.
Data Collection Mode
The data mentioned above are obtained by Gamstop during the registration process of users through certain modes:
Calls with users to Gamstop’s contact centre for service accuracy, personnel training, and performance monitoring are recorded. This is done in an authoritative manner and the users receive a message in the call informing them about the recording of calls.
Verification during online registration is carried out in cooperation with TransUnion to determine whether the data provided by users are authentic. Thus, GamStop has to obtain large amounts of data and representation of gamers which goes to the TransUnion database which asks certain questions during the registration process and verifies authenticity. It is extremely important to complete the full verification process for iGaming providers. Upon confirming the correspondence of the reply given by the user, the data is stored. Gamstop informs customers about thatch and proceeds with the registration of the user for self-exclusion.
iGaming companies send customers’ data to Gamstop matching service which is then compared with the personal data set held by punters who had registered for the self-exclusion scheme. Operators participating under this scheme need to carry out this format to restrain users registered to self-exclude from their services.
Due to the large volume of data held by Gamstop, the service is automated except for rare instances where human intervention might be required. The software validates the data in its database and when a particular user is found using the same data to re-register under any online gambling operators registered under the scheme, the operator immediately sends the data to Gamstop’s matching service. When both data sets match, the operator bars the user from registering for its services.
Incorrect Data Match
There remains a possibility of incorrect processing of data of users who did not sign up for the services offered. Gamstop is not an exception and to minimise such failures, Gamstop has partnered with DataShed which is a popular data management software in the UK. Gamstop has devised a strategy to circumvent individuals whose data do not match and are not registered under Gamstop. Storing and retaining the personal data of individuals is done with compliance in its system for the prevention of future exclusion by gambling operators of such individuals.
In A Nutshell
The period with which the personal data of Gamstop users is retained depends on the objective of collecting the data. For gamblers whose amount is only growing, the data are sent to Gamstop matching services from any gambling operator, and all information on them is expunged immediately. For individuals who were unsuccessful in completing the registration process for self-exclusion, the personal data and information concerning Gamstop are stored for 30 days but in exceptional cases, they might even be kept for 7 years when they are added to Gamstop’s case management system. The personal data of users who had registered under Gamstop are retained for 7 years, and after completion of that period, it is archived for a further 7 years and then deleted.
