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Complain about the National Lottery

If you want to complain about the National Lottery, there are specific steps you need to take.

Published: 23 September 2020

Last updated: 1 February 2024

This version was printed or saved on: 28 April 2024

Online version: https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/public-and-players/guide/complain-about-the-national-lottery

Overview: If you are unhappy with any aspect of the National Lottery you should complain directly to Allwyn, the company which runs the National Lottery.

The National Lottery complaints process

  1. 1. Follow Allwyn’s complaint procedure

    Read the complaints information on the National Lottery’s website (opens in new tab).

  2. 2. Contact Allwyn

    You can submit your complaint by phone, email or in writing.

    By phone

    0370 737 3983

    0370 737 8249 if you're deaf or have a hearing impairment and are using Minicom equipment.

    By email

    complaints@national-lottery.co.uk

    In writing

    Customer Operations
    The National Lottery
    PO Box 251
    Watford
    WD18 9BR

  3. 3. Wait for the response

    Allwyn aims to respond to complaints by email within 24 hours and complaints by post within 5 working days.

    When the investigation is complete, Allwyn will tell you the result of your complaint and what happens next.

  4. 4. If you're not happy with the outcome

    If you are not satisfied with the result, you can escalate your complaint to Allwyn’s managers or senior managers.

  5. 5. If you’ve escalated your complaint and are still not happy

    If you have been through the full complaints procedure with Allwyn, you can complain to the National Lottery’s Alternative dispute resolution (ADR).

    You will need to contact the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR). This free service is the ADR for the National Lottery.

    Once you've referred your dispute to CEDR, Allwyn will no longer be able to speak to you about your complaint.

    Use CEDR to refer a dispute

    You have up to 12 months from finishing Allwyn’s complaints process to take your dispute to CEDR.

Complain to us about how the National Lottery is being run

We regulate the National Lottery and deal with complaints about the way the lottery is being run.

We do not have the powers to settle disputes or change the outcome of a decision.

Contact us if:

How we use information received from complaints

Player complaints help us check Allwyn is following the rules when running the lottery. It also means that we take action if they are not following these rules. This is why we value every contact that we receive.

If we need to take regulatory action

If we receive information highlighting areas of concern, our enforcement team will investigate. They will look at any potential breaches in the licence and decide if we need to take further action.

You can find details of breaches and action we’ve taken on our website. If there was no breach, we may still publish details of our investigation if we think the public should be aware.

Make a complaint

You can make a complaint with us in one of the following ways:

Online

Complete our online form to submit a complaint online.

By phone

0121 230 6666

In writing

Gambling Commission
Victoria Square
Birmingham
B2 4BP