If I ask an online bookmaker

@racingguru - don't see how they get that past UK Data Protection law - not holding data longer than necessary is a basic principle.

A couple I looked at explicitly promise to delete all data after account closure.

Surely longbridge, for whatever reason your account was deleted, the layer needs to keep your details?

For example, if you self-exclude, the layer needs to keep your details to prevent you re-registering, and if he closes your account because you're too shrewd for him, he needs to keep them to prevent you working him over again.

It forms part of the accounting and tax records.  It is ridiculous to suggest that it can be deleted.

Even so, doesn't need to be kept for ever, as suggested by racingguru

Coral: "On closure of your account, your data will be kept for a reasonable period for legal and accounting purposes and will then be removed from our system. "

Bet365: "In order to comply with bet365's legal and regulatory requirements and bet365's own internal risk management procedures, we will retain information for a period of time (generally not more than six years) after closure of your account"

etc

They are within their rights and also, I think, in the right.

Someone asking to have their info deleted may well want to start betting again with a clean accnt.

It wd be better from punters' point of view if bookmakers had a clear and publicised code of practice setting out how much they are willing to lose to any punter/arber per race. Still, nothing cd hold the bookies to this as they aren't obliged to trade w/ a winning player.