October 29, 2018

On 31 October 2018 changes to the Licence conditions and codes of practice, which introduce new standards for alternative dispute resolution (ADR) providers in the gambling industry, come into force. The aim of the new standards is to provide stronger protection for consumers and ensure they are treated fairly by gambling businesses.

The Gambling Commission now expects ADR providers to:

• consider as many complaints as possible, and let complainants know quickly if their complaint is one they cannot help with;
• tell complainants when they have received the complaint and update them when all the information from the gambling business concerned has been received;
• keep complainants updated throughout the process;
• make sure complainants know that they have a right to ask to see any information from the gambling business about their complaint (unless this conflicts with other law or regulations);
• take into account the complainant’s needs when contacting them, including any needs around accessibility;
• provide information about what happens at the end of the process, including whether the complainant can appeal; and
• have a process complainants can use if they need to complain about the service they have received.

ADR providers will also be expected to publish information to give complainants confidence in the process and their service, including information:

• showing how they are independent of the gambling business, including information about how they are funded; and
• about the service they provide, including methods and timescales, and performance data to show how they are performing against targets.

The Gambling Commission says that it will be monitoring how ADR providers perform against the new standards, and will take action if it does not think a provider is meeting them. To read the Commission’s news item in full, click here.