How to Place a Successful Casino Dispute

Despite the sustained efforts to standardize and regulate the gambling market, at least in countries where gambling is legal, legal disputes between casino operators and customers are very frequent. 

Resolving such a dispute can be a stressful, very costly, lengthy procedure and that’s why in this guide we will show, in detail, everything you need to know about casino disputes and what you need to do. 

Read this guide to the end to stay informed because even if it won’t guarantee your success it will give you a fair chance of solving your problem.  

What is a casino dispute and why you should raise it 

Firstly, you need to understand what casinos disputes are and the fact that they are not the same thing as complaints. Casino disputes are legal procedures in which a gambler engages whenever he has an issue with a casino operator that can be mediated peacefully or internally. 

All over the world, casino disputes are a common occurrence and they are considered the main way of dealing with gambling-related issues between players and operators.

Surely, it doesn’t need to come to this. When you have a problem at a gambling site, the first course of action is to seek help from the customer support team. Many issues and misunderstandings can be solved this way and you don’t need to go further and let things escalate. 

However, if the problem you have encountered does not seem to get any resolution or if the casino refuses to communicate or help you solve the problem, you might be required to file a complaint against the specific operator.

When the complaint didn’t seem to get any results or when the operator comes up with their version of the story standing their ground, the issue escalates and it becomes a dispute. The goal of this guide is what you can do when things have reached this turning point and there is no other way of solving it. 

How we can help with casino disputes

Here on our website, we offer an in-depth guide that will teach you everything you need to know about casino disputes, how they can be solved, and what are the steps need to be followed. 

It’s important to mention that we do not solve disputes between players and casinos directly as it is not our field of expertise. However, we can point you in the right direction and help you find assistance from specialized agencies like an ADR (Approved Alternative Dispute Resolution) body.

Software providers

This is not a very common problem because nowadays due to the great technology at work, casino software works smoothly without any problems in most cases. However, from time to time, a casino game might malfunction or give an error and a lot of things can happen after.

If on the other hand the game does malfunction and you have troubles completing a bonus or a promotion because of it, or if you lose money, it’s time to contact the casino and let them know. As usual, remember to make print screens and videos as proof.

Payment methods

Unfortunately, this is one of the most common problems encountered. Surely, in online gambling operators’ defense, it’s worth mentioning that this problem mostly occurs on rogue websites or blacklisted casinos.

The problems with payments can vary from just regular delays where the casino just delays payment to severe payment refusals where the operator refuses to pay a portion of the wins or even the wins entirely.

Some delays are normal and are to be expected, especially when it comes to big amounts of cash like in the case of progressive jackpots. These delays occur because any online casino has to reserve some time to verify the wins and make sure that nobody cheated and the win is legit.

After the verification process is completed and if there was no issue, the operator will often contact the player and make an offer. Because progressive jackpots are worth tens of millions sometimes, the operator will try to come to an agreement and pay a portion of the money upfront and make a payment plan for the rest over a couple of months or years.

While these practices are normal, unfortunately, you will also encounter operators that refuse to pay the money and any other sort of negotiation. They will often try to declare the wins a software malfunction or accuse the player of cheating to avoid paying the prizes. 

Unfortunately, this is one of the issues where negotiating with the operator usually leads to no result and the only hope is to seek help from a third party like an ADR agency or even seek legal support. 

Bonus Codes and Promotions

Casino bonuses are a great marketing way through which an operator can attract new players and keep the veterans happy by offering them various benefits or extra cash. It’s a win-win situation that benefits both the casinos and players alike.

Unfortunately, offering misleading offers or abusively canceling a bonus is a common practice among rogue casinos. Blacklisted casinos will try to attract players through false advertisements of bonuses that do not actually exist or are never actually offered.

In this scenario, bad practices can range from an operator promising a bonus and never offering it after it has convinced you to register an account or make a deposit to abusively canceling the bonus after you have claimed it.

Gambling account 

Players' accounts may be closed by the casino rightfully or abusively and there are plenty of reasons why a casino may decide to suspend or permanently close an account, like

1. Creating and using multiple accounts on the same platform. This is considered a form of cheating or welcome bonus abuse and will not be tolerated at most online casinos. You risk losing your bonus, any potential wins, your deposits, and even your account. Try to stick to a single account and don’t share it with anyone. 
2. Suspicious activity is detected by special software that is in place at any gambling website. This software analyzes any change in the gambling pattern or behavior and any suspicious activity is signaled to the operator.
   
   Their main goal is to protect players from gambling addiction, however, they can have more uses detecting also the use of multiple accounts on the same IP address or suspect deposits which can indicate money laundering activities.
3. Rude, sexist, racist, or any other form of insult is a big no-no at any online casino. Unfortunately, it is subjective so try to be careful about what kind of language you use when dealing with the casino’s staff or in live casino rooms.

If by any means an issue with the account occurs, it can usually be solved quite quickly by contacting the casino. Very rarely do these issues remain unsolved or require involving a third party or legal support. 

That of course if you didn’t break some serious rules like cheating or trying to exploit a game. In that scenario, you might lose your account forever.

Among other issues that may cause a problem, we can include the use of VPNs, using different software in an attempt to hack or gain an advantage over a game, and so on.

How to solve a dispute step-by-step

Sometimes, no matter how careful you are, a dispute with a casino might appear. These cases are rare at trustworthy, reputable gambling operators and occur more often at rogue casinos. 

However, a dispute doesn’t always mean that it’s the casino’s fault and there are plenty of cases where players failed to inform themselves on a matter and ended up in a dispute where it was their fault.

Here are just a couple of steps that you can follow to find a quick resolution to your issue.

Figure the cause of your issue

Before you can do anything, it’s important to find out the cause of your issue. Surely, this is a very complex subject because it depends on the matter of your problem, however, try and eliminate the most common causes.

Let’s say that you have a problem with a bonus where it was not awarded to you or the wagering requirements were not completed. Find out if there weren’t any specific conditions that you have failed to meet.

If you have a problem with a payment, first make sure that you are using one of the casino’s preferred payment options and that there are no specific limitations for that transfer option. 

Before you take any course of action, make sure you have all of your facts in check and you also gathered some evidence. Evidence includes screenshots, copies of the casino's terms and & conditions, or copies of the messages or emails between you and the website's customer support.

It’s perfectly true that it’s easier to solve a problem over the phone and that communication is much simpler this way. However, try to go with written communication. This way, you will be able to gather evidence in case things don’t go very well. In a legal trial the argument “he said, she said” over a phone will not weigh much.  

Check the casino’s Terms and Conditions

If you have found out the cause of your issue and you are trying to find a resolution or if, on the contrary, you have failed to see what went wrong, play the archaeologist and do some digging. 

The perfect place to start is right on the operator’s page in the Terms & Conditions section. Here you will find all rules that need to be followed on the specific gambling website and what is or is not allowed. 

Even if Terms & Conditions have a fine print that you failed to comply with, at least you will know what the casino can hold against you if you ever reach a trial and also what the casino has failed to deliver.

Once the T&Cs have been accepted, in a legal dispute, the casino may be completely covered, no matter how unjust its actions may seem to you. 

You may try to invoke the trick part during a lawsuit, however, if the casino hasn’t broken some major rules of its licensing commission or some region-specific laws, you have very few chances of winning the dispute. 

Know your rights

Before “waging war” upon the casino, you should take a look at what your possibilities are. If you are sure you haven’t broken any of the operating rules or you feel you have been wronged, it’s time to find out what your rights are. 

A specialized agency can teach you everything you need to know about what your rights are in the specific case and how you can use them to your advantage.

Contact Customer Support

For some minor issues and if the online casino is actually trustworthy, contacting customer support will actually solve a lot of problems. Don’t forget that a reputable casino doesn’t want a bad reputation and is not willing to lose customers, especially for some minor misunderstandings. 

In this scenario, the casino’s staff will actually guide you and help you solve the problem as fast as possible.

At a rogue website, this strategy won’t work and will only delay you. The customer support will avoid helping you by any means, that’s if someone actually bothers to respond. 

Set an ultimatum with the casino

Sometimes giving the operator an ultimatum may solve some issues. Nobody wants to go to court and go through a tedious trial if they can avoid it. Setting an ultimatum with the casino might solve some minor issues. 

Don’t expect to solve any major issues through an ultimatum. If the specific online casino refused to pay you a jackpot, they are very well aware of the legal consequences and they have accepted them. Also, it may be the case where the casino is covered by some “fine print” that you failed to read. In that scenario setting an ultimatum will also fail.

Seek help from a third party

When everything else fails and the casino operator refuses any form of negotiation it’s time to go to the next step and involve a third party. Unfortunately, when you feel like you're banging your head against a brick wall, there is no other alternative but to seek specialized help.

The first step would be to contact the licensing authority if the casino is licensed and regulated. These organizations have the power to retrieve a license in severe cases and may also offer you legal support in some cases.

Also, by raising the matter in a community, you also let other players know about the issues with the specific casino operator and that it should be avoided. This is how most online casinos get blacklisted.

If the licensing authority efforts fail, you should seek an ADR agency that can counsel you with the legal matters and will teach you what to do step by step. Depending on the jurisdiction of the ADR agency and if the specific gambling website falls in that jurisdiction the problem can actually be solved without having to start a legal trial and end up in court. 

ADR Agencies Resources and Information

Alternative Dispute Resolution is the perfect way to solve disputes between the casino operator and the gambler without having to go to court. The process involves gambling operators, gamblers, administrators, and specialized regulatory bodies.

Through the ADR procedures, conflict resolution is easier for all parties by cutting the costs and the waiting period by a significant amount. 

It’s important to mention that the ADR procedure is only applicable to licensed and regulated gambling operators and not to blacklisted casinos or rogue websites. At unlicensed casinos, unfortunately, players have very few ways to actually solve their problems.

In the UK, ADR is represented by a legal framework called the Alternative Dispute Resolution for Consumer Disputes Regulations from 2015. The body that supervises the procedures is the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) one of the harshest reputable regulatory bodies in the field. 

An ADR agency is either a neutral person or a legal entity that is empowered by the regulatory body to mediate disputes between operators and customers.

Remember that the regulatory body does not deal with the players’ problems and instead, they redirect the complaints towards the ADR provider.

ADR Agency	Details
eCOGRA	(eCommerce & Online Gaming Regulation & Assurance was actually created by Microgaming and Cassava and functions as a regulatory body. It operates in any field.
IPCA	A very useful resource, that even if niched, provides fast and accurate help towards customers.
GPWA	This company runs the “The Players Corner” forum and has helped many gamblers solve their disputes over years.
ADRg	This is one of the oldest agencies that deals with gambling disputes and will help players in matters that go up to £15,000.
ProMediate	As their name suggests, this agency can arrange mediation or point you in the right direction for a lot of disputes, not only gambling-related.
IBAS	The Independent Betting Adjudication Service operates in many fields and solves issues between licensed online casinos and players. It is approved by the UK Gambling Commission.
Resolver	Unfortunately, Resolver can’t actually intervene in a dispute; however, they can guide you to the right place.
Tattersalls Committee	Just like IPCA, Tattersalls Committee is a very useful resource, however, it has a niched field of operation.

A very important aspect that needs to be mentioned is that in the iGaming world only disputes regarding contractual liabilities in either the operator’s services or the player’s financial operations that have not been solved through normal manners are of the competence of a licensing authority.

Some of these issues may include, without excluding others:

1. Issues regarding bonuses and promotions terms and conditions
2. Issues regarding the free access to player’s account
3. Issues regarding payment problems or refusal of payment to the customers

Since it’s very hard to determine which dispute is gambling-related or not and to define the party to blame, the market is left with a huge grey-zone. Here is where ADR comes in to solve the issues and remove most of the grey areas.

For all this to happen, ADR has a list of attributes:

1. All issues must be solved up to 8 weeks at most since receiving the complaint
2. All ADR services are completely free of charge
3. The ADR agencies must provide a form of contact for customers
4. Customers must be informed about all stages of the issue solving process
5. All findings must be published transparently
6. Annual reviews of gambling dispute outcomes must be implemented and updated
7. All parties must have the chance to make their case, both gamblers and operators alike

How to avoid disputes when gambling

The best way to avoid casino disputes is to never end up having one in the first place. Of course, this may be beyond your control at some point, however, by following just a couple of simple rules, you can minimize the chances of ever having one.

Play the archaeologist

The internet is a powerful tool when picking a casino. Make use of it and do your homework. There are plenty of gambler communities and affiliate websites just like ours where you can find more information about a specific casino. 

Check other players’ ratings and reviews and see if the specific operator had any bad incidents in the past. Chances are that if the specific gambling website has done something wrong to a player, it will most likely have a bad reputation.

Check the terms and conditions

All gambling operators have T&Cs in place, both general that apply to the entire website and specific ones designed for each promotion. The best idea is to check them all before you open an account.

You have probably noticed the long lines of text ending with a tiny box that you’ll need to tick, stating something like “I have read and accepted the terms and conditions”. You probably skip them on most websites, however, at online casinos, it is very important to read them, very, very carefully. 

In a dispute, the operator may use the T&C to its advantage stating that they complied with the legal binding of showing you the rules and you have willingly accepted them. This puts you at a huge disadvantage with few chances to win.

The main goal is to look out for absurd or ambiguous conditions that can be interpreted in many ways and that leave you vulnerable at the mercy of the casino. If you find such T&Cs, it’s better to search for another casino.

When in doubt, contact the customer service

If going through the T&Cs has raised some questions or you didn’t understand a couple of things, don’t hesitate to contact the customer support team at that website and ask them everything you need to know including different questions about the best bonuses.

At a reputable casino, the support team should be more than willing to answer your questions and help you. In the end, it’s to their advantage because they are potentially getting a new customer.

Stick to the rules

Once you know the rules of the casino, try to stick to them. Don’t count on an agency to solve your problems. The role of mediator agencies is to protect both the players and the operators alike to make the market a safer place for everyone.

Don’t use VPNs, don’t share your account, and try to gamble the money if you deposited. This way, your actions won’t be seen as money laundering activities.

Don’t claim the best offer, even a no deposit bonus until you have read the specific terms and conditions for that promotion to make sure you can complete the wagering requirements and claim the bonus along with the potential wins. 

Final thoughts

More often than they should, casino disputes are the only way to solve a problem between a gambler and the operator. 

Even if the gambling market has come a long way and serious efforts are made to standardize and regulate the market, conflicts appear as one of the parties will try to take advantage of the other. 

While it’s impossible to fully prevent this and make sure that you will never end up in a dispute, you can greatly minimize the chances by only playing responsibly at reputable, trustworthy online casinos, by playing fair, and always doing your homework before you take any action.