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.