HollywoodBettor.com (“HollywoodBettor”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and what rights you have in relation to your data.
By accessing or using HollywoodBettor.com (the “Website”), you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy.
1. Who we are
Our website address is: https://hollywoodbettor.com.
HollywoodBettor.com is an independent, editorial and informational website that discusses sports betting in South Africa. We provide opinions, guides, and contextual information about betting on sports, including commentary on prominent South African betting platforms.
2. No association with Hollywoodbets
HollywoodBettor.com is not:
- owned, operated, or controlled by Hollywoodbets,
- affiliated with,
- endorsed by, or
- acting on behalf of
Hollywoodbets, hollywoodbets.net, or any related entity or brand.
We merely provide contextual and informational content about betting on sports in South Africa, including commentary on what we consider to be the best sports betting platforms in the country. We do not offer betting services, we do not open betting accounts, and we do not process bets, deposits, or withdrawals.
3. Scope of this Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy applies to:
- Visitors to HollywoodBettor.com
- Users who leave comments, upload media, or otherwise interact with our content
- Any personal information processed in connection with the Website and its features
This policy is particularly relevant to South African users and is drafted with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA) in mind, but it also applies to all visitors, regardless of where they are located.
4. What information we collect
We collect information in the following ways:
4.1 Information you provide directly
This may include:
Comments:
- Name or display name
- Email address
- Website URL (if provided)
- The content of your comment
User registration / accounts (if enabled on the site):
- Username and password
- Email address and any profile information you choose to provide
Contact or feedback forms (if available):
- Name, email address, and the content of your message
Media uploads:
- Images or other media files you upload to the Website (for example, via comments or user profiles if enabled)
4.2 Information collected automatically
When you visit the Website, we may collect:
- IP address
- Browser type and version
- Device type and operating system
- Referring URL (the page you came from)
- Pages visited, time and date of visit, and time spent on each page
- Other diagnostic and usage data
Some of this information is collected using cookies and similar technologies (see Section 7 below).
5. Comments
When visitors leave comments on the Website, we collect:
- The data shown in the comments form
- The visitor’s IP address
- Browser user agent string (to help with spam detection and security)
An anonymised string created from your email address (also called a hash) may be provided to the Gravatar service to see if you are using it. The Gravatar service privacy policy is available here:
https://automattic.com/privacy/
After approval of your comment, your profile picture (as provided by Gravatar, if applicable) is visible to the public in the context of your comment.
6. Media uploads
If you upload images to the Website (for example, in comments or profiles, if enabled):
- You should avoid uploading images with embedded location data (EXIF GPS) included.
- Visitors to the Website can download and extract any location data from images on the Website.
We do not actively remove EXIF data from media you upload; it is your responsibility to ensure that images do not contain location data if you do not want it to be accessible.
7. Cookies and similar technologies
7.1 What are cookies?
Cookies are small text files stored on your device by your browser. They help websites remember information about your visit, such as your preferences and login status.
7.2 Cookies we use
We may use the following types of cookies:
Comment convenience cookies
- If you leave a comment, you may opt in to saving your name, email address, and website in cookies.
- This is for your convenience so that you do not have to fill in your details again when you leave another comment.
- These cookies will typically last for one year.
Login-related cookies (if login is enabled)
- If you visit our login page, we will set a temporary cookie to determine if your browser accepts cookies.
- This cookie contains no personal data and is discarded when you close your browser.
- When you log in, we set several cookies to save your login information and your screen display choices:
- Login cookies generally last for two days.
- Screen options cookies generally last for one year.
- If you select “Remember Me”, your login may persist for two weeks.
- When you log out of your account, the login cookies are removed.
- If you visit our login page, we will set a temporary cookie to determine if your browser accepts cookies.
Article editing cookies (for authors/editors)
- If you edit or publish an article, an additional cookie is saved in your browser.
- This cookie includes no personal data and simply indicates the post ID of the article you just edited.
- It typically expires after 1 day.
Analytics and performance cookies (if used)
- We may use cookies or similar technologies to understand how visitors use the Website (for example, pages visited, time spent, and general usage patterns).
- Any such data is used to help improve our content and user experience.
7.3 Managing cookies
You can control or delete cookies via your browser settings. However, if you disable cookies, some features of the Website may not function properly (for example, remembering you when you log in or comment).
8. Embedded content from other websites
Articles on this Website may include embedded content, such as:
- Videos (e.g. from YouTube or other platforms)
- Images
- Social media posts
- Articles or widgets from other sites
Embedded content from other websites behaves in the exact same way as if you had visited the other website directly. These external websites may:
- Collect data about you
- Use their own cookies
- Embed additional third-party tracking
- Monitor your interaction with the embedded content
- Track your interaction with the embedded content if you have an account and are logged in to that website
We do not control, and are not responsible for, the privacy practices of third-party websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party services you interact with.
9. How and why we use your information
We use the information we collect for purposes that are reasonable, relevant, and lawful, including:
To operate and maintain the Website
- Displaying content, enabling comments, and providing user account features (if enabled)
To communicate with you
- Responding to queries or feedback you submit
- Notifying you about important changes to our Website or policies (where appropriate)
To protect our Website and users
- Detecting and preventing spam, fraud, abuse, and security incidents
- Troubleshooting issues and improving reliability
To improve our content and user experience
- Analysing how visitors use the Website (on an aggregated or de-identified basis, where possible)
To comply with legal obligations
- Responding to lawful requests or legal processes
- Maintaining records as required by applicable laws
10. Legal basis for processing (South Africa & other regions)
For South African users, we process personal information in accordance with POPIA, ensuring that such processing is:
- Lawful, reasonable, and not excessive
- For a specific, explicitly defined purpose, and
- Done with appropriate security safeguards in place
For visitors from other jurisdictions (such as the EU/UK under GDPR), our legal bases may include:
- Your consent (e.g. when you submit a comment or contact form)
- Our legitimate interests in running and improving the Website
- Compliance with legal obligations
11. Who we share your data with
We do not sell your personal information.
We may share your information only with:
Service providers and technical partners
- Website hosting providers
- Security and spam detection services (e.g. automated spam filters)
- IT support and maintenance providers
These parties process data on our behalf and are required to protect it appropriately.
Gravatar (for comment profile images)
- As described in Section 5, an anonymised hash of your email may be sent to Gravatar to display your profile image if you use that service.
Password reset requests
- If you request a password reset (for a user account), your IP address may be included in the reset email for security reasons.
Legal and regulatory authorities
- Where required by law, regulation, or court order
- To protect our rights, safety, or property, or that of others
Any sharing is done strictly for the purposes described in this policy and in compliance with applicable law.
12. How long we retain your data
Comments:
If you leave a comment, the comment and its metadata are retained indefinitely.
This allows us to recognise and automatically approve any follow-up comments instead of holding them in a moderation queue.User accounts (if registration is enabled):
For users that register on our Website, we store the personal information they provide in their user profile.- All users can see, edit, or delete their personal information at any time (except they cannot change their username).
- Website administrators can also see and edit that information.
Logs and technical data:
Server logs and security-related logs may be retained for a limited period necessary for security, troubleshooting, and legal compliance (the exact duration can vary depending on circumstances).
We only retain personal information for as long as it is needed to fulfil the purposes set out in this policy, or as required by law.
13. Where your data is sent / international transfers
- Visitor comments may be checked through an automated spam detection service, which may involve the transfer of data to servers outside of South Africa.
- Our Website may be hosted on servers located in another country. As a result, your personal information may be transferred to and processed in a country other than your own.
Where personal information is transferred across borders, we take reasonable steps to ensure that:
- There is an adequate level of protection for your personal information, and
- Such transfers comply with POPIA and any other applicable data protection laws.
14. Your rights over your data
Depending on your jurisdiction (including under POPIA and, for some users, GDPR), you may have some or all of the following rights, subject to certain conditions and limitations:
Right of access:
You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.Right to correct (rectification):
You can ask us to correct or update inaccurate or incomplete personal information.Right to deletion (erasure):
You can request that we delete personal data we hold about you, subject to data we are required to keep for administrative, legal, or security purposes.Right to object or restrict processing:
You may object to or request restriction of certain types of processing, especially where we rely on legitimate interests.Right to data portability (where applicable):
You may request your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.
14.1 How to exercise your rights
If you have:
- An account on this Website, or
- Have left comments, or
- Otherwise provided us with personal data
You can request:
- An exported file of the personal data we hold about you, including any data you have provided to us.
- That we erase any personal data we hold about you (subject to legal and security-related exceptions).
To exercise these rights, please contact us through the contact details or contact form provided on our Website. We may need to verify your identity before acting on your request.
14.2 Complaints
If you believe we are not handling your personal information in accordance with applicable law, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the appropriate data protection authority. In South Africa, this is the Information Regulator.
15. Security of your information
We take reasonable and appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against:
- Loss
- Misuse
- Unauthorised access
- Disclosure
- Alteration
- Destruction
However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. You are responsible for:
- Keeping your login credentials (if any) confidential
- Using a strong, unique password
- Logging out of your account when using shared or public devices
16. Children’s privacy
HollywoodBettor.com is not directed to children and is intended for individuals who are legally permitted to engage with content about gambling and betting in their jurisdiction.
- We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 18.
- If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so that we can take appropriate steps (such as deleting the information, where appropriate).
17. Links to other websites
Our Website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the content or privacy practices of such websites.
We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.
18. Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to:
- Reflect changes in our practices
- Reflect changes in applicable laws
- Improve clarity and transparency
When we update this policy, we will revise the “Effective date” at the top of this page. In some cases, we may provide additional notice (for example, via a notice on the Website).
Your continued use of the Website after any changes to this Privacy Policy constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.
19. Contact us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our handling of your personal information, please contact us via the contact details or contact form provided on HollywoodBettor.com.
We aim to respond to privacy-related queries within a reasonable time and in accordance with applicable laws.
By using HollywoodBettor.com, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy and agree to its terms.
