How Herd of Sporrans uses cookies and similar technologies on our website, and how you can manage your preferences.
Last updated: 12 May 2026
This Cookie Policy explains what cookies are, how Herd of Sporrans ("we", "us", or "our") uses cookies and similar tracking technologies on our website at herdofsporrans.com, what types of cookies we use, and how you can control or delete them. This policy should be read alongside our Privacy Policy, which provides further detail on how we handle your personal data.
Cookies are small text files that are stored on your computer, tablet, or mobile device when you visit a website. They are widely used across the internet to make websites work more efficiently, to provide a better browsing experience, and to give website owners information about how their site is being used.
Cookies can be "persistent" or "session" cookies. Persistent cookies remain on your device for a set period of time or until you manually delete them. Session cookies are temporary and are deleted automatically when you close your web browser. Cookies can also be categorised as "first-party" cookies, which are set by the website you are visiting, or "third-party" cookies, which are set by a domain other than the one you are visiting.
Herd of Sporrans uses cookies for several purposes. We use them to ensure our website functions correctly, to understand how visitors interact with our content, and to support the affiliate partnerships that fund our independent testing programme. We do not use cookies to collect personal information that could directly identify you unless you have provided that information voluntarily, for example by contacting us via email.
Below is a detailed breakdown of the types of cookies we use and their specific purposes.
Essential cookies are necessary for the basic functioning of our website. They enable core features such as page navigation, access to secure areas, and remembering your cookie consent preferences. Without these cookies, certain parts of the website would not function properly. These cookies do not collect any personal information and cannot be disabled without affecting site functionality.
We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors interact with our website. Analytics cookies help us measure things like which pages are most popular, how visitors navigate through the site, and where visitors arrive from. This information is collected in an aggregated and anonymised form, meaning we cannot identify individual users from the data. We use these insights to improve our content, fix usability issues, and ensure we are serving the most relevant information to our readers.
Google Analytics uses the following cookies on our website:
We have configured Google Analytics to anonymise IP addresses, which means your full IP address is never stored by Google in connection with your visits to our website. You can learn more about how Google uses data from partner sites by visiting Google's privacy page.
Herd of Sporrans generates revenue through affiliate partnerships with gambling operators. When you click on a link to one of our recommended gambling sites, a tracking cookie may be placed on your device by our affiliate partners. This cookie allows the gambling operator to identify that you arrived via our website, which in turn enables us to receive a commission if you sign up and deposit.
These affiliate tracking cookies are essential to our business model. They fund the independent testing programme that allows us to evaluate gambling sites with real deposits and real play. Without this revenue, we would not be able to maintain the quality and independence of our reviews.
Please note that affiliate tracking cookies are set by the gambling operators themselves when you click an outbound link on our site. We do not control the exact cookies set by these third parties, and their cookie durations and data handling practices are governed by their own privacy and cookie policies. We encourage you to review the privacy policy of any gambling site you visit.
In addition to the cookies described above, certain third-party services integrated into our website may set their own cookies. These include:
__cf_bm) to identify trusted web traffic and protect against bots. This cookie expires after 30 minutes of inactivity.We carefully select third-party services and limit their use to those that are necessary for the operation and improvement of our website. We do not allow third parties to use cookies on our site for advertising purposes unrelated to our content.
You have the right to decide whether to accept or reject cookies. Most web browsers are set to accept cookies by default, but you can modify your browser settings to block or delete cookies if you prefer. Below are instructions for managing cookies in the most popular browsers:
Please note that blocking or deleting certain cookies may affect the functionality of our website. Essential cookies, in particular, are required for the site to work correctly. If you block these cookies, some features may not function as intended.
To opt out of Google Analytics tracking specifically, you can install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on, which prevents your data from being collected by Google Analytics across all websites.
Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the UK Data Protection Act 2018, you have specific rights regarding the data collected through cookies. These rights include:
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at [email protected]. We will respond to your request within 30 days, as required by the GDPR.
We process data collected through analytics and affiliate cookies on the basis of legitimate interest, as described in Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR. We have conducted a legitimate interest assessment and determined that the use of these cookies is necessary for the operation of our website and does not unduly impact your privacy rights. Essential cookies are processed on the basis of necessity for the performance of our website.
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the cookies we use, the third-party services we integrate, or applicable laws and regulations. When we make significant changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we use cookies.
If you have any questions about our use of cookies, this Cookie Policy, or your privacy rights, please do not hesitate to contact us:
You can also visit our Contact page for additional ways to get in touch with the Herd of Sporrans team.
For more information about your privacy rights and data protection in the United Kingdom, you can visit the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) website.
For a complete understanding of how we handle your data and the terms governing your use of our website, please also review: