meritbet Privacy Policy

1 Introduction

meritbet ("we," "us," "our," or "the Company") is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of all players and visitors who use the meritbet Platform. This Privacy Policy describes our practices regarding the collection, use, storage, disclosure, and protection of personal information in connection with your use of meritbet's website and services.

meritbet operates in the Philippines and processes personal data in accordance with Republic Act No. 10173, also known as the Data Privacy Act of 2012, and its Implementing Rules and Regulations, as administered by the National Privacy Commission (NPC). We take our obligations under Philippine data protection law seriously and have implemented appropriate technical and organizational measures to safeguard your personal information.

This Privacy Policy applies to all meritbet players, registered users, and visitors, regardless of whether they are located in Manila, Cebu, Davao, Quezon City, Makati, or any other part of the Philippines.

2 Personal Data We Collect

meritbet collects personal data that is necessary to provide you with a safe, secure, and compliant gaming experience. The categories of personal data we collect include:

• Identity Data: Full legal name, date of birth, gender, and government-issued identification number (e.g., Philippine passport, SSS, UMID, or driver's license number).
• Contact Data: Philippine mobile number, email address, and residential address (including city, province, and postal code).
• Account Data: Username, encrypted password, account preferences, and communication preferences.
• Financial Data: Payment method details (e.g., GCash account reference, PayMaya reference, BPI/BDO/Metrobank account details, or card details). Note: meritbet does not store full card numbers — payment processing is handled by PCI-DSS compliant payment processors.
• Transaction Data: Records of all deposits, withdrawals, bets placed, games played, bonuses claimed, and other financial transactions on your meritbet account.
• Technical Data: IP address, device type, browser type and version, operating system, time zone, and other technical identifiers collected automatically when you access the Platform.
• Usage Data: Information about how you use the meritbet Platform, including pages visited, games played, session duration, and click-through data.
• Communications Data: Records of your communications with meritbet customer support, including chat transcripts and email correspondence.
• Verification Data: Copies of identity documents and proof of address submitted during the KYC (Know Your Customer) verification process.

3 How We Use Your Personal Data

meritbet uses the personal data we collect for the following purposes:

• Account Management: To register and maintain your meritbet player account, verify your identity, and manage your account settings and preferences.
• Service Delivery: To provide you with access to meritbet's games, betting services, promotions, and all other Platform features.
• Payment Processing: To process deposits, withdrawals, and other financial transactions on your account, and to detect and prevent fraudulent transactions.
• Regulatory Compliance: To comply with our obligations under Philippine law, including anti-money laundering (AML) requirements, PAGCOR-compliant operational standards, and the Data Privacy Act of 2012.
• Responsible Gaming: To monitor gaming activity for signs of problem gambling and to implement responsible gaming tools such as deposit limits, session limits, and self-exclusion where appropriate.
• Customer Support: To respond to your queries, complaints, and requests submitted through meritbet's support channels.
• Security: To protect the integrity of the meritbet Platform, detect and prevent cheating, fraud, and unauthorized access, and to enforce our Terms & Conditions.
• Communications: To send you important account-related notifications, security alerts, and — where you have opted in — promotional communications about meritbet offers and new features.
• Platform Improvement: To analyze usage patterns and technical data in order to improve the performance, design, and features of the meritbet Platform.

meritbet will not use your personal data for any purpose that is incompatible with the purposes listed above without first obtaining your consent or establishing another lawful basis for processing.

4 Legal Basis for Processing

Under the Data Privacy Act of 2012, meritbet processes your personal data on the following legal bases:

• Contractual Necessity: Processing is necessary to perform the contract between you and meritbet — specifically, to operate your player account and deliver the services you have requested.
• Legal Obligation: Processing is necessary for meritbet to comply with its legal and regulatory obligations under Philippine law, including AML regulations and PAGCOR-compliant operational requirements.
• Legitimate Interests: Processing is necessary for meritbet's legitimate interests, including fraud prevention, Platform security, and improving our services, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and interests.
• Consent: Where meritbet relies on your consent as the legal basis for processing — for example, for sending promotional communications — you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time by contacting meritbet support or updating your account preferences.

5 Data Sharing & Disclosure

meritbet does not sell, rent, or trade your personal data to third parties. We may share your personal data with the following categories of recipients only to the extent necessary and on a need-to-know basis:

• Payment Processors: Licensed and PCI-DSS compliant payment service providers (including GCash, PayMaya, and banking partners) to facilitate deposits and withdrawals.
• Identity Verification Providers: Third-party KYC and identity verification service providers engaged to assist with regulatory compliance.
• Game Providers: Licensed game software providers whose games are made available on the meritbet Platform, to the extent necessary for game operation and fairness auditing.
• IT and Security Service Providers: Cloud hosting, cybersecurity, and technical infrastructure providers engaged to support the operation and security of the meritbet Platform.
• Regulatory and Law Enforcement Authorities: Philippine government agencies, regulatory bodies (including PAGCOR and the NPC), and law enforcement authorities where disclosure is required by law or court order.
• Professional Advisors: Legal, accounting, and compliance advisors engaged by meritbet, subject to professional confidentiality obligations.

6 Cookies & Tracking Technologies

meritbet uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience on the Platform. A cookie is a small text file placed on your device when you visit a website. meritbet uses the following types of cookies:

• Strictly Necessary Cookies: These cookies are essential for the meritbet Platform to function correctly. They enable core features such as account login, session management, and security. These cookies cannot be disabled.
• Performance & Analytics Cookies: These cookies collect anonymized information about how visitors use the meritbet Platform, such as which pages are visited most frequently and whether error messages are received. This data helps us improve the Platform.
• Functionality Cookies: These cookies allow the Platform to remember your preferences (such as language settings and display preferences) to provide a more personalized experience.

You can control non-essential cookies through your browser settings. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of the meritbet Platform. meritbet does not use cookies for cross-site behavioral advertising or third-party tracking outside of the Platform.

7 Data Security

meritbet implements a comprehensive set of technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal data against unauthorized access, loss, alteration, or disclosure. These measures include:

• 256-bit SSL/TLS encryption for all data transmitted between your device and the meritbet Platform.
• Encryption of sensitive data at rest, including financial information and identity documents.
• Strict access controls ensuring that personal data is accessible only to authorized meritbet personnel on a need-to-know basis.
• Regular security audits, vulnerability assessments, and penetration testing of the meritbet Platform.
• Multi-factor authentication options for player accounts to prevent unauthorized access.
• Incident response procedures to detect, investigate, and respond to personal data breaches in accordance with the Data Privacy Act of 2012.

In the event of a personal data breach that is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, meritbet will notify the National Privacy Commission and affected players in accordance with the requirements of Philippine law.

8 Data Retention

meritbet retains your personal data for as long as is necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by applicable Philippine law and regulatory obligations. The following general retention periods apply:

• Account Data: Retained for the duration of your meritbet account and for a period of at least five (5) years following account closure, in accordance with AML and regulatory record-keeping requirements.
• Transaction Data: Retained for a minimum of five (5) years from the date of the transaction, as required by Philippine AML regulations.
• KYC and Verification Documents: Retained for the duration of your account and for a minimum of five (5) years following account closure.
• Customer Support Communications: Retained for a period of two (2) years from the date of the communication, unless a longer retention period is required for dispute resolution or legal proceedings.
• Technical and Usage Data: Retained for a period of up to twelve (12) months, after which it is anonymized or deleted.

When personal data is no longer required, meritbet will securely delete or anonymize it in accordance with our data disposal procedures.

9 Your Rights as a Data Subject

Under the Data Privacy Act of 2012, you have the following rights with respect to your personal data held by meritbet:

• Right to Be Informed: You have the right to be informed about how meritbet collects and processes your personal data, as set out in this Privacy Policy.
• Right of Access: You have the right to request a copy of the personal data that meritbet holds about you.
• Right to Rectification: You have the right to request that meritbet correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal data held about you.
• Right to Erasure: You have the right to request the deletion of your personal data where it is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, subject to meritbet's legal and regulatory retention obligations.
• Right to Object: You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data where meritbet relies on legitimate interests as the legal basis for processing.
• Right to Data Portability: You have the right to receive a copy of your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.
• Right to Lodge a Complaint: You have the right to lodge a complaint with the National Privacy Commission (NPC) of the Philippines if you believe that meritbet has processed your personal data in violation of the Data Privacy Act of 2012.

To exercise any of the above rights, please contact the meritbet Data Protection Officer at [email protected]. meritbet will respond to all data subject requests within thirty (30) days of receipt, in accordance with the requirements of Philippine law.

10 Children's Privacy

The meritbet Platform is strictly intended for adults aged 21 years and above, in accordance with Philippine gaming regulations. meritbet does not knowingly collect personal data from any person under the age of 21.

If meritbet becomes aware that personal data has been collected from a person under the age of 21, we will take immediate steps to delete that data and close the associated account. If you believe that a minor has registered a meritbet account, please contact us immediately at [email protected].

Parents and guardians are encouraged to use parental control tools and to monitor their children's online activity to prevent access to gambling platforms.

11 International Data Transfers

meritbet primarily processes personal data within the Philippines. In certain circumstances, personal data may be transferred to and processed by service providers located outside the Philippines — for example, cloud infrastructure providers or game software vendors operating internationally.

Where personal data is transferred outside the Philippines, meritbet ensures that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data, including contractual data protection clauses that require the recipient to process personal data to a standard equivalent to that required under the Data Privacy Act of 2012.

12 Updates to This Privacy Policy

meritbet reserves the right to update or amend this Privacy Policy at any time to reflect changes in our data processing practices, applicable Philippine law, or regulatory requirements. The date of the most recent revision is always displayed at the top of this page.

When material changes are made to this Privacy Policy, meritbet will notify registered players via email or a prominent notice on the Platform. Your continued use of the meritbet Platform following the posting of any revised Privacy Policy constitutes your acknowledgment of the updated policy.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how meritbet protects your personal data.

13 Contact Us & Data Protection Officer

meritbet has appointed a Data Protection Officer (DPO) responsible for overseeing compliance with the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and this Privacy Policy. If you have any questions, concerns, or requests relating to your personal data or this Privacy Policy, please contact us through the following channels: