UK gambling complaints: operator, ADR and the Gambling Commission

In Great Britain, a complaint about a licensed gambling site follows three steps: the operator's own complaints process, then an independent alternative dispute resolution (ADR) provider, then, for rule breaches only, the Gambling Commission. The business has 8 weeks from receiving your complaint to resolve it. If it does not, or you are unhappy with its final answer, you can refer a dispute about a gambling transaction to the ADR provider it names, free of charge. The Commission itself says it does not resolve or decide complaints about gambling transactions (UKGC guidance, checked October 2026).

Who regulates gambling sites in Great Britain?

The Gambling Commission licenses and supervises gambling businesses that serve customers in Great Britain. Its complaints rules sit in social responsibility code provision 6.1.1 of the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP), which every licensee dealing directly with consumers must follow. Before you start, confirm the site holds a Commission licence on the public register; our guide to the UKGC licence explains what to look for.

Step 1: complain to the gambling business

The Commission's public guidance sets out the first stage:

1. Read the terms and conditions linked to your account or the transaction.
2. Contact the business through the details on its website and ask for its complaints policy.
3. Follow that policy, giving dates, times and amounts, and attaching any evidence. Keep copies of everything.
4. Wait for the response. The business has 8 weeks from receiving your complaint to resolve it.

The Commission's licensee guidance adds detail on what operators should do: acknowledge a complaint within 3 working days (24 hours for businesses offering 24-hour gambling), finish the whole process, including internal escalation, within 8 weeks, and confirm in writing when the process ends and how to go to ADR. That written confirmation is often called a deadlock letter.

If you are not sure what to gather first, start with our gambling complaint evidence checklist. If the dispute is about a withdrawal, what to do when a casino won't pay out covers the first steps.

Step 2: take the dispute to the approved ADR provider

ADR means a free, independent service that reviews a dispute and gives a decision without going to court. In Great Britain (UKGC rules, as of October 2026):

• The operator must offer ADR free of charge for disputes about the outcome of a gambling transaction that its own process has not resolved within 8 weeks.
• It must use a Commission-approved provider and name it, with contact details and website, in its terms. If it uses more than one, it must tell you which one applies to your dispute.
• For disputes up to £10,000, the licensee guidance says the outcome should be binding if the customer accepts it.

The Commission's list of approved ADR providers (last updated 15 January 2025, opened October 2026) names eight services, each covering different sectors: ADR Group, Pegasus ADR Service, Blexr Limited, the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR), eCOGRA, the Independent Betting Adjudication Service (IBAS), ProMediate and the Tattersalls Committee. Use the provider your operator names, and open its official site from the Commission's list rather than from a search result.

A change is planned. In its December 2025 consultation response on the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCC Act), the Commission said gambling ADR providers will need accreditation from the Secretary of State for Business and Trade instead of Commission approval. It expected the change in spring 2026 but said that depended on when the government brings the relevant DMCC provisions into force, and that the date had not been confirmed. We could not confirm a commencement date as of October 2026, so check the Commission's list and the provider's own site before you file.

What ADR can and cannot decide

ADR providers decide disputes about gambling transactions, such as how a bet was settled or whether winnings should be paid. The Commission says they will not accept complaints about customer service, or about a business refusing to take your bet or your custom, because a business can choose its customers and terms. The provider decides whether it can take your case. If you are unhappy with its final decision, you may be able to appeal; after that, the small claims court remains an option.

Step 3: what the Gambling Commission will and will not do

The Commission is not a dispute service. It says it does not resolve or make decisions on complaints about gambling transactions, so it is not a route to a refund or compensation for you. It does take reports, online or by phone, about illegal gambling and non-compliance with licence conditions, including unlicensed gambling, underage gambling and money laundering concerns. A report like that may feed into its compliance work, but it will not settle your individual claim. Its contact page also warns not to use the reporting form for complaints.

What time limits apply?

What should your complaint include?

Write it so a stranger could follow it: your account username, the date and time of each event, the amount, the bet ID or game round ID, what you expected and what happened, what you have already asked for, and the outcome you want. Attach screenshots and the operator's messages. Our guide on how to write a gambling complaint timeline shows a layout ADR providers can follow quickly.

How do you keep track of reference numbers?

Ask for a complaint reference at Step 1 and put it in the subject line of every message. Keep one file with the operator's reference, the deadlock letter, the ADR case number and every date. The licensee guidance warns operators that failing to hold records may lead to a dispute being resolved in the customer's favour, so your own records matter too: they show what you sent and when. What happens after a gambling complaint explains each stage of waiting.

What if the site is unlicensed or offshore?

If the business does not appear on the Commission's register, none of this applies. The Commission notes that unlicensed businesses are not required to offer dispute resolution. You can still write to the operator, and you can report unlicensed gambling to the Commission, but no approved ADR provider has to take the case. If you have self-excluded and are being offered sites outside the licensed market, our safer gambling page lists support and blocking tools.

Watch out for paid "recovery" services

Operator complaints and approved ADR are free to you. Be wary of anyone who contacts you after a complaint or a loss offering to get money back for an upfront fee, claims special access to the Commission or an ADR provider, or asks for your banking login. Hub of Luck cannot recover funds or influence any operator, ADR provider or regulator, and you should treat any paid intermediary that claims it can with caution. Our guide on why people who have lost money are often contacted again explains how these approaches work.

In practice

1. Check the operator's licence on the Commission's public register.
2. Read the terms covering your issue and take screenshots.
3. File a formal complaint and ask for a reference number.
4. Wait up to 8 weeks, or until you receive a final response or deadlock letter.
5. Find the named ADR provider in the operator's terms or final response, and check it against the Commission's list.
6. Submit your timeline and evidence to that provider, well inside its deadline.
7. Report suspected licence breaches to the Commission separately, knowing it will not decide your dispute.