The online gaming industry started operating just over 15 years ago. In those years operators worked with little regulation and no licenses. Since then the industry has developed greatly so that nowadays it is regulated and monitored to ensure safety and privacy to all online players.

However all the regulations in the world cannot stop those that are criminally-minded from committing crimes and no industry can fully protect itself against those that are determined to hurt it.

One example of such a case happened in 2008 but was only brought to closure this week. It all started when Foxy Bingo discovered that the private details of 65,000 customers were stolen.

The data was purchased by someone and was recently offered for sale to Cashcade Limited, the company that operates Foxy Bingo from where the data was originally stolen. The company asked the culprit to send a copy so they can verify the list. They paid 1,700 GBP to see it.

Cashcade complained to the Information Commissioner Office (ICO) that were able to trace the culprit, Marc Ben-Ezra, an ex-employee in the online gambling industry. He was captured as the email address he used led to his father-in-law’s home.

Cashcade has informed all players whose personal details such as name and address were stolen and has reported that so far no one has been hurt and the industry watchdog did not receive complaints from players.

Marc Ben-Ezra pled guilty to three separate offences under the Data Protection Act and was found guilty of breaching the Act. He received a three year conditional discharge and ordered to pay back the 1,700 GBP that Cashcade paid him and the costs of the hearing.