Evaluation of the Gambling Act Review Operator Survey and Interviews: Privacy Notice

Who is NatCen?

The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) is an independent, not-for-profit social research organisation.

What is this research about?

This privacy notice sets out how your information will be used for the evaluation of the Gambling Act Review (GAR). NatCen has been commissioned by the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) and the Gambling Commission (GC) to conduct an evaluation of the GAR. The aim of the evaluation is to gather evidence to monitor and evaluate the outcomes and impacts of proposed changes to gambling related policy. The policy changes, which are being put into place over the next two years, are the responsibility of DCMS, the GC, and gambling and related sectors.

The evaluation involves several research work strands. As part of the quantitative work we are carrying out, we are conducting a survey with gambling operators. We will additionally conduct follow-up in-depth interviews with people who have taken part in the survey and consent to do so.

What is the legal basis for processing my data?

For the purpose of data protection legislation, DCMS and the GC are joint data controllers and NatCen is the data processor. This means that DCMS and the GC are responsible for deciding the purpose and legal basis for processing data collected in relation to the evaluation of the GAR during data collection activities, including the survey and in-depth interviews with gambling operators. In order to use personal data in a manner which is lawful, we need to meet one (or more) conditions in data protection legislation, as set out in Article 6(1) of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). As such, the lawful basis for this data processing will be ‘public task’. This is because the evaluation of the GAR is in the public interest, is being carried out as part of DCMS and the Gambling Commission’s statutory responsibilities, and the processing of this personal data is necessary to carry out the evaluation.

Who will have access to my personal data?

We are recruiting gambling operators to take part in a survey to collect data for the evaluation, as well as respondents of this survey who would be willing to participate in follow-up interviews. This will involve the processing of personal data of those participating in the research however, the questions included in the survey and interviews, and therefore the data collected, will relate to activities and outcomes of gambling operators, and not that which relates to personal experiences or perspectives. Only the NatCen research team and Wishart Research Consulting Limit, a sub-processor, will have access to this data, including personal data collected to facilitate the data collection activities, such as contact details of those taking part. The data will be stored in secure folders which have restricted access.

In the event that a different supplier is selected to continue the evaluation, data collected under this contract will be transferred to the new supplier solely for the purpose of continuing the evaluation. Any such transfer will be assessed to ensure that only data necessary for that purpose is shared, and will be carried out in accordance with data protection legislation and subject to appropriate data sharing and confidentiality agreements.

How will my data be used?

The data we collect will be used for research purposes only. Information gathered from the data collection activities, including the survey and interviews, will feed into evidence as part of the evaluation to understand the implementation and impact of the policy changes. We will treat everything you say as strictly confidential.

During the study, NatCen will store and manage all data securely and confidentially and only named individuals in the research team will have access to the data. The outputs (such as reports) which use or are informed by data collected from the survey and interviews will not identify any individuals who took part. The data collected during these activities will be analysed based on trends and statistical patterns; we will not report on individual cases or answers under any circumstance.

Once the project is completed, all personal information and any other data held will be securely deleted following the completion of the project after a period of up to five years. The completion of the project is currently scheduled for March 2026. Your personal data will be retained for as long as necessary for research purposes, in accordance with the UK GDPR and the DPA 2018. You will be informed of the specific purposes, including follow-up evaluation, for which this retained data is used. If the data is reused for another purpose, this will be clearly communicated to you in a privacy notice, outlining the lawful basis for the additional processing. Any details of additional processing which are not available at this time will be clearly detailed to you in an updated privacy notice once the information is knon.

Do I have the right to withdraw permission?

You have the right to withdraw your permission for data processing and ask for your contributions to be redacted or withdrawn entirely. You do not have to justify or explain why, if you wish to do so. If you do decide to withdraw your permission, we will stop processing your data and remove the data that you have provided. However, after your participation, your data will be combined with other responses as part of the analysis, and as such you can withdraw your permission up to the point at which the analysis has started. The date until which you can withdraw your permission for NatCen to process data you provided during the survey or interviews will be provided in the relevant information sheet. After analysis has taken place, if you wish to do so, you are still able to withdraw your permission for any further data processing.

After the data collection activities begin, should you wish to withdraw your permission to take part in the evaluation, or wish to redact your contribution, you can contact the research team by emailing GARevaluation@natcen.ac.uk.

Who can I contact with a query or complaint?

If you have any questions about how your data will be used for this research, or the evaluation in general, please contact the research team at GARevaluation@natcen.ac.uk.

If you have any concerns over how your data is used, you can contact NatCen’s Data Protection Officer at dpo@natcen.ac.uk.

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to lodge a complaint about how information has been used or managed with the Information Commissioner’s Office. Please go to www.ico.org.uk for more information.