Complaints

If you disagree with a gambling business about the outcome of your gambling transaction, or about the service you have received from them, then you should first complain to them.

For example, your complaint might be about:

• whether you have won
• how much you have been paid
• the way your payments were managed
• terms and conditions
• bonus offers
• ID verification
• closure of your account
• decisions such as voiding your bet
• IT issues
• customer service issues.

How to complain

You should complain directly to the gambling business first of all.

1. Check any terms and conditions that are linked to your account or your gambling transaction.

2. Contact the business. You can find how to contact them, and their complaints procedure on their website. You can also complain in person, and ask for a copy of the complaints policy, at the premises (betting shop, arcade, bingo hall, casino).

3. Follow their complaints procedure. Tell the business all the information about your complaint, including dates, times and amounts. Share any evidence you have to support your complaint. Make sure you keep a copy of everything that you tell them.

4. The business will follow their complaints procedure and investigate your complaint.

5. When the investigation is complete, they will tell you the outcome of your complaint, and what happens next. This includes what to do if you are not satisfied with the outcome (which might be to take it to someone higher in the business).

6. If you are not satisfied with the outcome when you have reached the end of the business’s complaints process, (which will be no later than eight weeks from when the business received your complaint), you can choose to take your complaint to an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) provider. The ADR provider is independent. They will look at the information both you and the gambling business provide to resolve the complaint. You will not have to pay to use the provider. 7. The ADR provider should be named in the business’s complaints procedure, or you can ask the business to tell you the provider's contact details. You must have gone through the gambling business’s own complaints process before you go to the ADR. In most cases, the gambling business will give you a letter that confirms you can now take the complaint to ADR8. You can only use an ADR provider that the business has agreed to.

Complaint tools

You can use a tool, such as Resolver*, to help you make your complaint. Resolver is a free online service and app that offers advice and helps consumers with their complaints. There is a dedicated page for gambling consumers.

*The Gambling Commission does not endorse or promote Resolver’s services and has no responsibility for how Resolver operates.

More information

You can find out more about how a gambling business should handle complaints in our guidance for gambling businesses.

 

Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) providers

The ADR provider’s decision is usually the end of the complaint process. We cannot get involved with the ADR’ provider’s decision or ask them to reconsider, so if you wish to challenge the ADR’s decision, you can consider taking your complaint to court. You may want to consider taking independent legal advice if you wish to take your complaint to court.

If you are not happy with the service you have had from the ADR provider you can complain to the provider. The information about how to complain to them should be available on the provider’s website

You can also report your complaint to us. We will use the information you give us to make sure that the provider is following the procedures that they are supposed to. We will not be able to update you on the outcome of any investigation.

You can find more information about what you should expect from an ADR provider in our Standards and guidance for ADR providers.We will use the information you give us to make sure that the ADR is following the procedures that they are supposed to. We will not be able to update you on the outcome of any investigation.

You can find more information about what you should expect from an ADR provider in our Standards and guidance for ADR providers.

Make a complaint about an ADR provider.

 

We want to put consumers at the heart of everything we do so they have confidence they can gamble in a safe environment free from crime and protected from unfair practices.

You can help us by letting us know if you have concerns about the way a gambling business is being run.Examples of information we would be interested in could include:

• details of unlicensed or criminal activity related to gambling - such as betting in pubs and illegal gaming machine supply
• concerns about money laundering
• underage gambling
• concerns about sports betting integrity (match-fixing).
  
  

Any action we take against an individual or operator will be published on our sanctions register.

We cannot provide feedback on any information you provide in case it results in an investigation. Any details made public could hinder or jeopardise the investigation.

Please contact us if you think you have information, all calls are treated confidentially.

Contact centre: 0121 230 6666

Confidential line: 0121 230 6655

 

National Lottery

If you are unhappy with any aspect of the National Lottery, you should in the first instance complain directly to Camelot, the National Lottery operator.

Customer Operations
The National Lottery
PO Box 251
Watford
WD18 9BR
0370 737 3983
complaints@national-lottery.co.uk

More information on complaints about the National Lottery

 

Gambling Commission

We take complaints about the Gambling Commission or our employees seriously. We want to deal with complaints properly and quickly, and we also want to learn from them.

You can make a complaint about the Gambling Commission if you are not happy with the service you have received from us. For example, the time we have taken to deal with your complaint, or the way we have updated you.

We work to make sure licensed gambling businesses meet all the conditions of their gambling licences, including making sure gambling is fair, safe and free of crime. However, we do not take up individual consumer complaints with a business, and we do not have legal powers to help you get your money back.

If you are not happy with the service you have had from a gambling business, or if you disagree with them about the outcome of a gambling transaction, you will need to complain to the gambling business first of all.

For more information on how we handle complaints about us, please see our Corporate governance framework - Complaints policy

Complaints give us a chance to put things right when mistakes have been made and to improve the quality of our work.

If you have a complaint against us, or one of our employees, please email us at notify@gamblingcommission.gov.uk

You can also make your complaint in writing:
Legal
Gambling Commission
Victoria Square House
Victoria Square
Birmingham B2 4BP