Government let gambling firms access children’s exam results
‘A database of pupils’ learning records being used to help gambling companies is unacceptable’
GAMBLING companies were given access to up to 28 million children’s personal information and exam results in one of the biggest breaches of government data.
The Department for Education (DfE) has been reprimanded by John Edwards, the Information Commissioner, after letting betting firms use the data to boost the number of young people who gambled.
Mr Edwards said he would have fined the department £10million for the “serious breach of the law” had it been in the private sector, but decided not to as the money would go back to the Government and have a “minimal” impact.
He said: “No one needs persuading that a database of pupils’ learning records being used to help gambling companies is unacceptable. Our investigation found that the processes put in place by the DfE were woeful. Data was being misused, and the DfE was unaware there was even a problem.
“We all have an absolute right to expect that our central government departments treat the data they hold on us with the utmost respect and security. Even more so when it comes to the information of 28 million children.”
The database of children’s names, ages, addresses and qualifications was accessed by a company called Trustopia, which provided an age verification service to gambling firms.
The data provided the betting firms with a fast and cheap way to check the ages of young online customers who claim to be 18 or over and therefore legally permitted to gamble. It was claimed one gambling firm boosted the numbers of young people passing identity checks by 15 per cent.
One of the companies that benefited was GB Group, which helped 32Red, Betfair and other gambling companies verify ages. At the time, GB Group said on its website: “The data is accessible in real time, refreshed nightly and updated in line with annual exam results and other key moments.”
Surveys suggest 7 per cent of 18 to 24 year olds have a gambling problem. Rates of moderate or problem gambling triple between the ages of 17 and 20, according to a Liverpool University study for Gamble Aware, a charity.
From September 2018 to January 2020, Trustopia carried out searches on 22,000 children and young people to verify their ages.
Since the breach, the DfE has removed 2,600 of the 22,000 organisations that had access to the database. Trustopia was dissolved before Mr Edwards’ investigation concluded, which meant he was unable to take any regulatory action against the firm.
Mr Edwards said his decision not to fine the DfE “should not detract from how serious the errors we have highlighted were, nor how urgently they needed addressing”.