Cookie Policy

1. General Information

This policy describes how personal data is handled on this site, covering every page and the contact form. The site is an independent informational resource holding no player accounts and processing no payments. The UK GDPR and applicable United Kingdom data protection law set the standard followed here; where a reader is located elsewhere, local rules may give additional rights.

This policy is published so a reader knows what is collected before anything is given — it does not stand in place of consent. Analytics and affiliate cookies are set only after a choice is made in the banner. Terms used here follow their meaning in the UK GDPR: personal data means any information relating to an identified or identifiable individual.

2. Personal Data Collected

The amount of personal data involved is small, because most pages can be read without giving any. The following categories may be collected:

• A name and an email address entered in the contact form
• The content of a message and any attachment sent with it
• Technical data such as an IP address and a browser identifier
• Pages visited, time on page and the referring address
• Cookie identifiers set by this site or by a measurement service

Financial details, identity documents and gambling account credentials are never requested on this site. A message sent through the form may contain more than it asks for, but only what is needed to answer it is retained afterwards. An IP address and a cookie identifier are treated as personal data even though collected automatically and not linked to a name.

3. How Data Is Collected

Information is collected in two ways: a reader supplies it directly through the contact form, or a browser supplies it automatically while a page loads, from server logs and cookies, neither used to establish an individual reader’s identity. It is not bought from data brokers or collected from social platforms. A reader who blocks cookies can still read every page, since the parts of the site that depend on a stored choice fall back to a default on each visit.

4. Purposes of Processing

Personal data is used for a limited set of purposes:

• Replying to a message sent through the contact form
• Checking and correcting a figure reported by a reader
• Measuring which pages are read and how they perform
• Keeping the site secure and detecting automated abuse
• Meeting record-keeping obligations that apply to the site

It is not used to build an advertising profile of a reader or to target a reader with a gambling offer, and a purpose not listed here is not pursued without a separate basis.

5. Legal Basis for Processing

Every use of personal data rests on one of three bases: consent, a legitimate interest in running the site, or a legal obligation. Contact form data rests on a legitimate interest in answering the message it came with, without which no reply is possible; analytics and marketing cookies are set only where consent has been given and can be withdrawn at any time. Server logs and security records rest on a legitimate interest in keeping the site available and free of automated abuse, and a legal obligation, mainly for tax and accounting records, takes precedence over these bases.

6. Marketing Communications

No newsletter is operated on this site and no mailing list is maintained. An email address supplied through the contact form is used only to answer that message and is never added to a promotional list, shared with an operator or an affiliate network, or used to send marketing on behalf of any third party.

7. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Cookies are small files stored by the browser and are covered in full in the cookies policy published on this site; local storage is treated the same way. Essential cookies keep the site working and are set without consent, while every other category depends on the choice made in the banner — a choice which is itself stored in a cookie so the banner does not reappear on every page.

8. Affiliate Links and External Websites

Some links on this site lead to operator websites, and a click may pass a tracking identifier that records where the visit came from — the referral, not the identity of the reader. Once a reader reaches an operator site, that operator’s own privacy policy applies and this policy has no effect there; the presence of a link is not a recommendation to register.

A reader who prefers not to be tracked in this way can open the operator site directly in a new browser tab. Operator terms, licensing and payment rules are set by the operator alone.

9. Sharing Personal Data

Personal data is not sold, rented or exchanged. It may be shared with a limited set of parties:

• The hosting provider that stores the site and its logs
• The email provider that delivers messages from the form
• The analytics provider that measures site traffic
• A professional adviser bound by a duty of confidence
• A public authority where disclosure is legally required

Each provider acts on instructions, uses the data only for the service it supplies, and is selected on the basis of its own security and privacy terms.

10. International Data Transfers

Some providers store data on servers outside the United Kingdom, and a transfer is made only where the destination is covered by adequacy regulations or an approved transfer agreement — the same standard of protection applies wherever the data is held.

A reader can ask which providers are in use and where their servers are located, and where a transfer cannot be covered by suitable terms, the service is not used for personal data.

11. Data Retention

Information is kept only for as long as the purpose it was collected for requires. The retention periods applied on this site are the following:

• Contact form messages: kept while the matter is open, then archived
• Server and security logs: kept for a short operational period
• Analytics data: event records kept for the retention period set in the analytics account
• Cookie consent records: kept as evidence of the choice made

Once a period ends, the data is deleted or reduced to a form that no longer identifies anyone; a message kept for reference is stripped of contact details once the matter it concerns is closed.

12. Data Security

The site runs over an encrypted connection, with access to stored messages limited to the people who answer them, and software and server components are updated as new versions are released. Sensitive personal details should not be sent through the contact form, since no system can be guaranteed against every attack.

A suspected breach of personal data is assessed as soon as it is identified; where it poses a risk to the people concerned, it is reported to the Information Commissioner within 72 hours, and where the risk is high, the people affected are told directly and without undue delay.

13. Reader Rights

The following rights apply to personal data held about a reader:

• Asking what information is held and receiving a copy of it
• Asking for inaccurate or out-of-date information to be corrected
• Asking for information to be erased where it is no longer needed
• Asking for processing to be restricted while a dispute is settled
• Objecting to processing that rests on a legitimate interest
• Receiving supplied information in a portable, machine-readable form
• Withdrawing consent without affecting processing already carried out
• Complaining to the Information Commissioner’s Office

A request is made through the contact form, with identity confirmed first where it concerns a specific message, and a reply is sent within one month — a complex request can extend that period, with the extension explained in writing. A complaint can be sent to this site through the contact form, the quickest route to a fix, and is acknowledged within 30 days; it can also go to the Information Commissioner’s Office at any point. No fee is charged for a request, though one that is manifestly unfounded or excessive may carry a reasonable fee or be refused, with the reason given in writing.

14. Children’s Privacy

The site is intended for adults and is not directed at anyone under 18. Personal data is not knowingly collected from a minor and is deleted if identified; a parent or guardian who believes a minor has submitted information can report it through the contact form. Age verification is carried out by operators, not by this site.

15. Automated Decision-Making

No automated decision is made about a reader on this site, and no profiling takes place. Analytics data is read in aggregate, content is not personalised on the basis of previous visits, and no decision with a legal or similarly significant effect on a reader is produced by this site.

16. Changes and Privacy Enquiries

This policy is updated when the way information is handled changes, and the version published here is the one in force. Questions about this policy go through the contact form; the current text replaces anything issued before it.