A disputed balance feels like one problem. Procedurally it is a queue of them, and each stage in the queue has a different decision-maker, a different standard of proof and a different amount of leverage. People lose disputes they should win by skipping a stage, or by taking the whole thing to a body that was never going to rule on it. Here is the actual route.
The operator's own complaints procedure
Every licensed operator has to publish one, and you have to go through it. There is no shortcut past this step: no later body will look at the case until the operator has had its turn. The Gambling Commission's own advice to players is blunt about what to put in — dates, times, amounts, and any evidence you hold — and about keeping a copy of everything you send.
The practical failure at this stage is vagueness. "You took my money" is not a complaint; "on 14 July at 21:40 a withdrawal of £420 was cancelled and the balance reverted to the bonus wallet" is. The second version can be checked against a log. The first cannot, and it will come back as a template reply.
The eight-week wall
If the operator's answer does not satisfy you, the referral point is eight weeks from when you raised it. Before that, the case is still formally with the operator. After it, you can take the complaint to an alternative dispute resolution provider whether or not the operator has finished.
Two things surprise people here. The eight weeks run from the complaint, not from the incident — so raise it in writing early even if you expect it to resolve. And the ADR service is free to you; the operator carries the cost of being in the scheme.
Alternative dispute resolution
ADR providers are independent bodies approved by the Gambling Commission to hear consumer gambling disputes. You do not choose one at random: the operator is required to tell you which provider covers it and how to reach them. That detail is normally in the terms, under a heading nobody reads until the day they need it.
An ADR provider looks at the terms you agreed, the operator's logs and your evidence. It is a documentary process. Nobody will hear you out on the phone about how the site felt, and no ADR provider re-runs the game round.
The regulator is not an ombudsman
This is the misunderstanding that wastes the most time. The Gambling Commission's published position is that it does not settle individual disputes and will not recover an individual balance. What it does with your complaint is treat it as intelligence about the operator's conduct — which matters at licence-review scale and does nothing for your Tuesday.
Report it anyway. Just do not wait on it instead of using the ADR route.
Who hears it, by licence
The escalation ladder above is the British one. It exists because of the licence the operator holds, not because of anything on the website. Change the licence and the ladder changes with it.
| Licence | Supervising body | Route after the operator's own process |
|---|---|---|
| Great Britain | Gambling Commission | Approved ADR provider after eight weeks; the regulator itself takes the complaint as intelligence rather than as a case |
| Malta | Malta Gaming Authority | The authority operates its own player-complaint intake once the operator's internal process is exhausted |
| Curaçao | Curaçao Gaming Control Board | Since the National Ordinance on Games of Chance (LOK) came into force on 24 December 2024, the authority licenses and supervises directly; the former master-licence layer that sat between player and regulator was abolished |
| Smaller jurisdictions | Varies | Frequently no published consumer route beyond the operator itself — worth establishing before you deposit, not after |
Which licence you are actually playing under is a question with a checkable answer, and it is the single fact that determines everything above. If the mechanics of that are unfamiliar, GambleDragon sets out how a licence maps to the protections sitting behind it in more detail than we have room for here.
What to have ready before you start
- The account email and username exactly as registered.
- Dates and times in a single timezone, stated. Casino logs run in one; your bank runs in another.
- Transaction references from your bank or wallet, not screenshots of a balance.
- The terms as they stood on the day. Terms get edited. Save the page.
- Your own written complaint and the operator's reply, in full, unedited.
FAQ
Can I go to an ADR provider before eight weeks?
Only if the operator has already given you its final answer and you are not satisfied with it. Otherwise eight weeks from raising the complaint is the point at which you can move regardless of where the operator has got to.
Does the Gambling Commission get my money back?
No. Its published position is that it does not resolve individual disputes. Complaints inform its supervision of the operator's licence. The route that can actually return a balance is the operator's process, then ADR.
What if the site is licensed outside Great Britain?
Then the British ADR ladder does not apply to it. You are on whatever route that jurisdiction publishes, which in some cases is the regulator directly and in others is nothing beyond the operator. Establish which before depositing.
Sources
- Gambling Commission — Complain about a gambling business (accessed 2 August 2026)
- Gambling Commission — Taking your complaint to an ADR provider (accessed 2 August 2026)
- Gambling Commission — Public register of licensees (accessed 2 August 2026)
- Curaçao Gaming Control Board — cga.cw (accessed 2 August 2026)