Ibas Gambling Dispute Resolution
The grounds for which the ADR entity may refuse to deal with a dispute: The consumer has not attempted to contact the gambling operator and resolve the matter directly with them, prior to submitting their complaint to the ADR entity. The dispute is frivolous or vexatious. The dispute is being, or has previously been considered by another ADR. IBAS is a free to use, independent body which provides informed and impartial adjudications on disputes between gambling operators and their customers. Although their decisions are not legally binding on customers, decisions made by the IBAS adjudication panel are binding on registered gambling operators up to a maximum of £10,000. REGISTER WITH IBAS In order to complete a Claim Form to begin the dispute process, you will first need to register an account with IBAS. Please note that the contact details you supply to us will be used only by us to communicate with you. IBAS adjudicates on disputes from a wide range of licensed gambling operators. We consider betting disputes from online bookmakers, betting shops, greyhound racecourses and sports stadia. We also adjudicate on disputes from customers of Adult Gaming Centres, bingo clubs, online casinos, lotteries and other gambling venues. The IBAS Panel of experts apply their specialist knowledge to the facts and adjudicate mainly by reference to the operator's own terms and conditions. As well as offering effective dispute resolution procedures, IBAS also check that operators have complied with the standards set by the Gambling Commission and with the IBAS terms and conditions.
The first gambling website was set up in 1996, since then there has been an exponential increase in the number of people placing a bet online. The rapid increase in online gambling has in turn led to an increase in the number of complaints and thus in 1998 IBAS was launched to mediate these disputes. IBAS is a free to use, independent body which provides informed and impartial adjudications on disputes between gambling operators and their customers. Although their decisions are not legally binding on customers, decisions made by the IBAS adjudication panel are binding on registered gambling operators up to a maximum of £10,000. As a result customers, or operators where the value of the dispute is in excess of £10,000, are free to pursue the case through the court system after it has been determined by IBAS.
IBAS will review all claims made within one year of the relevant event occurring, a list of the areas of dispute which are covered can be found here. IBAS will not consider cases where the claimant has failed to attempt to resolve the dispute directly with the gambling operator, or where it believes that the claim has no reasonable prospect of success and it has discretion regarding whether to review a case which has been made outside the necessary one year timeframe. Providing your claim is not excluded for one of these reasons you should complete a claim form on the IBAS website where you will set out the details of your dispute as clearly and concisely as possible, you will be given the opportunity to attach any necessary evidence such as photographs or screenshots. Typically cases are resolved within 12 weeks, however some legally complex cases may take longer.
Ibas Gambling Dispute Resolution Template
Ibas Gambling Dispute Resolution Agreement
Given that the limit of their binding decisions is £10,000, recourse to IBAS may not be the most appropriate measure for high value gambling disputes. If you have a dispute with a gambling operator worth in excess of £10,000 and would like some advice or someone to act on your behalf then our highly experienced litigation team will gladly assist. Please contact us on ross.brymer@fsp-law.com or 0118 951 6273 if you would like to discuss the contents of this article or have any other questions for the team.