A significant data breach impacting as many as 800,000 users from two leading online betting platforms has heightened fears over sophisticated phishing risks and the growing role of artificial intelligence in exploiting compromised personal data.
The breach, confirmed by Flutter Entertainment, the parent company behind Paddy Power and Betfair, exposed users’ IP addresses, email addresses, and activity linked to their gambling profiles.
While no payment or password information was leaked, cybersecurity experts warn that the stolen details could still enable highly targeted attacks. Flutter, which also owns brands like Sky Bet and Tombola, referred to the event as a “data incident” that has been contained. The company informed affected customers that there is, “nothing you need to do in response to this incident,” but still advised them to stay alert.
With an average of 4.2 million monthly users across the UK and Ireland, even partial exposure poses a serious risk.
Harley Morlet, chief marketing officer at Storm Guidance, emphasized: “With the advent of AI, I think it would actually be very easy to build out a large-scale automated attack. Basically, focusing on crafting messages that look appealing to those gamblers.”
Similarly, Tim Rawlins, director and senior adviser at the NCC Group, urged users to remain cautious: “You might re-enter your credit card number, you might re-enter your bank account details, those are the sort of things people need to be on the lookout for and be conscious of that sort of threat. If it's too good to be true, it probably is a fraudster who's coming after your money.”
Rawlins also noted that AI technology is making phishing emails increasingly convincing, particularly in spear-phishing campaigns where stolen data is leveraged to mimic genuine communications.
Experts caution that relying solely on free antivirus tools or standard Android antivirus apps offers limited protection. While these can block known malware, they are less effective against deceptive emails that trick users into voluntarily revealing sensitive information.
A stronger defense involves practicing layered security—maintaining skepticism, exercising caution, and following strict cyber hygiene habits to minimize exposure