Ladbrokes under pressure after gambling addicts' details found in rubbish

Bookmaker Ladbrokes could be facing a probe from the Gambling Commission after details of several betting addicts were found outside a branch in Glasgow.

The gambling regulator said it was looking into opening up an investigation into the company after the sensitive documents were found in a bin bag on the street outside the branch.

Ladbrokes is a part of the multi-operator self-exclusion scheme (Moses), giving it access to information from gambling addicts in order to limit or prevent them from betting.

The information found by a passer-by included names, addresses, photographs and details about each individual’s gambling problems.

The commission’s executive director Tim Miller told The Guardian there was an obligation on bookmakers to dispose of such information correctly.

"We expect gambling operators to adhere to all data protection laws or regulations, which are enforced by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)," said Miller.

"In an instance where personal data has been breached, we would expect operators to do whatever they can to mitigate any harm caused."

Ladbrokes said they had opened an internal investigation into the matter, and added it had contacted its branches in order to remind them about the importance of the issue.