How to resolve an online casino complaint
A step-by-step guide to raising a complaint with a gambling business and finding the correct next route.
If you disagree with an online casino about a gambling transaction or its service, start with the business’s own formal complaints process. The Gambling Commission does not decide individual complaints about gambling transactions. The steps below explain the general route; check the operator’s current procedure and the relevant dispute resolution provider.
1. Check the complaint route
Find the complaints instructions in the operator’s website or account. Use its formal channel and note the date you submit the complaint. The Commission says gambling businesses must provide clear information about how to complain, their response times and how a customer can escalate an unresolved complaint.
2. Set out the facts clearly
Explain what happened, when it happened and what outcome you are asking the business to consider. Include relevant dates, transaction amounts, account references and the terms or messages involved. Keep copies of what you submit and the replies you receive. Share only information needed to understand the issue, and use the business’s secure channel where available.
- A short chronological timeline
- The transaction, decision or term you dispute
- Relevant account or reference number
- Copies of messages and terms, with dates
- The resolution you are requesting
3. Allow the business to investigate
The Gambling Commission’s public guide says the business has up to eight weeks from receiving a complaint to resolve it. The business may respond sooner. Keep its acknowledgement, complaint reference and final response. If it issues a deadlock or final response before eight weeks, check that letter for the next step.
4. Consider Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
If the complaint remains unresolved after the business’s process, you may be able to refer the dispute to an ADR provider. The operator should tell you which provider is relevant and give its contact details. ADR is free to consumers, but the provider decides whether your case falls within its scope and what evidence or time limits apply. Complete the operator’s process first unless the operator has issued an earlier deadlock or final position.
- Read the operator’s final response or deadlock letter.
- Confirm the correct ADR provider for the operator and issue.
- Check the provider’s eligibility, scope and submission requirements.
- Send the requested records and keep proof of submission.
5. Use a regulator or another route for the right issue
The Gambling Commission regulates licensed gambling in Great Britain but does not resolve individual transaction disputes. A concern about an operator’s regulatory conduct can be reported to the Commission, but that is separate from pursuing your own transaction complaint. Advertising, data-protection and other issues may have separate routes.
Keep personal information safe
Use official contact details and secure submission methods. Do not post account numbers, identity documents, payment details or private correspondence publicly. Keep an unedited copy of records for yourself and redact unrelated personal information from copies shared more widely.
Official sources
- Gambling Commission: How to complain — steps for complaints to a gambling business and the eight-week period.
- Gambling Commission: Taking your complaint to an ADR provider — when and how ADR may be used.
- Gambling Commission: Complaints — complaint routes and the Commission’s role.
Last checked: 24 September 2026. These Gambling Commission sources concern Great Britain; regulatory arrangements differ in Northern Ireland. For a factual correction, use our corrections policy.