In an effort to protect the integrity of racing, the Association of British Bookmakers (ABB) has entered into a memorandum of understanding with the U.K. Jockey Club.
The memorandum, which applies to both online and traditional operations, dictates the terms under which the bookmakers' would disclose the betting information of their customers.
The agreement differs from the one that betting exchanges Sporting Options and Betfair signed with the club in June 2003 in that the customers of bookmakers will not be required to sign over their rights to confidentiality under the Data Protection Act. The agreement is more of formalization of processes that have already existed.
According to ABB Chief Executive Tom Kelly, "The signing of this document is the culmination of several months' work. It will improve co-operation between our organizations by formalizing a number of processes that have been in place for some time."
He added, "In every instance we will seek to give what help we can within the parameters of our agreement with the Jockey Club, the law in general, and the Data Protection Act."
The Data Protection Act of 1998 says that customer information may be released in situations where a crime can be prevented or detected by doing so.
The memorandum states six examples of circumstances under which a bookmaker would share betting information:
Unusual betting patterns.
Abnormal occurrences surrounding an event.
Suspicious information that requires further investigation.
A Jockey Club or ABB official needs the information to prevent or detect a crime.
Police request the information.
A person subject to rules of racing gives written authorization for disclosure.
It is anticipated that the England's Gambling Commission, which will be created by the country's new Gambling Bill, will assume the office of monitoring bets and protecting racing's integrity, but the Jockey Club has been insistent on securing punter safety in the present.
"One of the reasons why we have gone ahead is that the formation of the Gambling Commission is some way off and this will equip the Jockey Club with the tools to gain access to information," Jockey Club Director of Public Relations John Maxse explained.
For now, both sides assure punters that their information is safe. Each request for information will be overseen by a "responsible person" from each organization.
"The more evidence we can provide the ABB, the more they will be able to assist us, Maxse said. "The ABB will have their own 'responsible person' who will act as a safety net for clients in that they will have to judge the merit of our request."
The ABB represents all the major bookmakers in the United Kingdom except for the Tote.