Irish bookmaker Paddy Power Betfair (PPB) has denied that it has been spying on punters using cookies and social media in an effort to determine their likely income.

The oddsmaker made the denial a day after an unnamed source in PBB told The Irish Times that traders who operated on risk-management teams of the Irish bookmaker often carried out background checks on social media and looked at people’s homes on Google Maps in an effort to determine their likely income.

The report has put a controversial software tracker sold by Iovation into spotlight as it is used to clandestinely gather information about a customer in order to build a profile that will determine how they will be treated.

In an e-mailed statement to eGaming Review Magazine, PBB has defended its KYC controls and trading policies, saying that the use of cookies and tracking tools helps it fulfil regulatory requirements.