The Gambling Commission regulates most gambling in Great Britain. This guide focuses on betting and casino transaction complaints involving its licensed businesses. It does not cover National Lottery complaints or set out the rules for Northern Ireland.
Start with the gambling business
Use the business's complaints procedure first. Check the terms relevant to the transaction and explain what happened. The Gambling Commission recommends supplying dates, times, amounts and supporting evidence, and keeping copies of what you send.
- Keep the transaction reference and relevant account records together.
- Save correspondence and any terms or screenshots that explain the issue.
- State the outcome you are asking the business to consider.
Understand the eight-week process
The usual limit is eight weeks from the business receiving the complaint, including any internal escalation. An earlier final position or deadlock can end the process sooner. The clock may pause if a customer does not engage promptly, such as failing to answer a reasonable information request. It resumes from the same point when they respond. These pauses affect the end date.
Keep a record of receipt and replies. If the business says the clock has paused, ask it to explain why and what information it needs. At the end of its process, it should provide a final letter explaining its decision and how to escalate.
What alternative dispute resolution can do
Alternative dispute resolution, usually shortened to ADR, provides independent consideration of a dispute. The current complaints code requires arrangements for unresolved disputes to reach ADR after the qualifying complaints process, and the service must be free for the customer.
ADR concerns unresolved disputes about the outcome of a gambling transaction. These can include account management or access to funds. Describe the transaction and disputed decision clearly when seeking a referral.
The business should identify the relevant provider and its contact details. It may issue a deadlock letter explaining referral. Send the provider your evidence and the business's response; it decides whether it can accept the case. The Commission's consumer guidance excludes complaints solely about customer service, or a refusal to accept a bet or a customer. Check the provider's submission requirements. A referral is not a promise of repayment.
Reporting a regulatory concern
The Gambling Commission cannot decide individual gambling transaction complaints or recover your money. It does use information from customers to identify compliance concerns and inform enforcement. You can report evidence of a business failing to follow its rules, while pursuing the business's complaints process for your own dispute.
A simple structure for your complaint
You can adapt this suggested wording and submit it through the business's complaints channel: