In this article, we will explain what the Independent Betting Adjudication Service (IBAS) is, how to raise a disp🍃ute with them, the sectors of the betting industry that IBAS deals with and the history of the organisation.
Most of the best UK betting sites are affiliated with IBAS.
- 1 What is IBAS?
- 2 How does IBAS work?
- 3 How to Raise a Complaint with IBAS
- 4 Sectors of tᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚhe Betting Industry that IBAS Deals With
- 5 Tips to Keep in Mind When Raising a Dispute
- 6 Issues That Are Not Covered By IBAS
- 7 How to Contact IBAS
- 8 History of IBAS
- 9 References
- 10 ThePuntersPage Final Say
- 11 IBAS FAQs
What is IBAS?
The (IBAS) is a committee that resolves disagreements between gambling operators and customers.
As an Alte♍rnative Dispute Service (ADR) approved by the (UKGC), IBAS settles disputes in an impartial and informed manner for any betting company that is registered with them. They offer their services to customers who h🐓ave gone through an operator’s internal dispute resolving procedure but remain dissatisfied with the outcome.
The members of the IBAS Adjudiꦉcation Panel make a decision on the basis of presented facts and an operator’s published terms and conditions. The panel also checks whether an operator is complying with the standards set by the UKGC and IBAS’s terms and conditions of registration.
The judgement passed by IBAS is legally non-binding on a customer, who in turn can take an issue in question to court if they are not sati𒀰sfied with the ruling. An IBAS ruling is legally binding oℱn an operator up to £10,000, above which an operator can take matters to court.
In 2019, IBAS received 6,282 requests for adju𓆏dication, all of which added up to a value of £634,426 awarded to cus🉐tomers.
How does IBAS work?
As we have already mentioned above, IBAS delivers unbiased adjudications o♔n matters concerning licensed betting operators and their customers. Before the IBAS Adjudication Panel gauges the details of a dispute, they will ask you to confirm that you did everything that you could to solve the matter with the operator in question before you approached them.
They will also ask you to confirm that you a𝐆gree to comply with their terms and conditions. Unlike court hearings which require your physical presence, IBAS’s adjudication process does not involve a courtroom-style hearing.
You must fill an IBAS Adjudication Form online or request one through post by calling their office. Make sure that you fill in all the necessary information and𝐆 that it is correct, as adjudicationඣs are based on facts and not the quality of your presentation.
Here are the 7 stages of the claim process with IBAS:
You must submit an IBAS Adjudication Form and in♒clude all relevant details. You can do so by filling in a form o💞nline or requesting one through post.
IBAS will contact t🐎he concerned bookmaker and ask ♐them to provide a written submission, all necessary documentary evidence and details of any company terms and conditions which may apply to the case.
𒁏All gathered information is passed on to the IBAS Adjudication Panel.
The two partiꦫes may also have to answer further questions asked by the panel𓃲.
The Panel completes the adjudication after all submissions have be༒en received and considered.
The ruling is pa🥂ssed to bot🍌h parties at the same time.
Either party can request a review of t♉he settled dispute.
How to Raise a Complaint with IBAS
You should try your level best to clear a dispute with an operator before taking any further steps, making sure that you do everything you can before escalating the problem. However, if you feel that you have tried all options made available to you by the company wit🌄hout having reached a concrete solution, you should go ahead and raise the issue with IBAS.
It should be noted that IBAS may not cater to your request until a betting operator has advised you to contact IBAS. To file a comp🌊laint, you must first register at IBAS.
As can be seen from the above image, you need to enter your personal details and click Regis𝔍ter.
IBAS will then send you an email to verify your account. Once you have verifie🔯d your email address, click on the CONSUMERS option wh🐟ich is present at the right-hand side of the website’s main menu bar followed by the MAKE A CLAIM option.
Log in us💎in๊g your registered email address and password and fill the IBAS Adjudication Form.
When filling the form, you need to explain what you did, when you did it and how you did it, the outcome you expected, why you expected that outcome, the outcome that came to be, the interaction you had with the betting operator in question and what you were told about the case.
You must provide all relevant evidence to substantiate your case. Once you have submitted the form, do keep a look out for follow up emails/letters from IBAS – the sooner you reply, the better.
Some sectors of the betting industry are not covered by IBAS🌠. To check whether the nature of your dispute falls under IBAS’s jurisdiction, you can click on the CLAIM WIZARD option which is present under the CONSUMERS header. This will take you to a screen with qu♑estions to guide you as to whether your issue can be taken up by IBAS, and if not, where to take your complaint and with whom.
Sectors of the Betting Industry that IBAS Deals With
Here are the sectors of the betting industry that IBAS deals witꦑh and some popular disputes from these sectors:
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Sports Betting (online and shops) – Pricing errors, late bets, unclear mark♏ets🍸 terms, related bets, shop scanner failures, disputed bet instructions, cashing out, maximum payouts and exclusion from offers/promos.
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Bingo – House called before the next number is drawn.
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Land-based casino – Late bets and winning bet ownership claims.
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Online casino – Unfair or broken game, game software𒆙൲ issues and disputed offer terms.
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Poker – Tournament terms and confiscation of funds.
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Online account identity disputes
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Stadium or racecourse
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Totalisator betting
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Gaming machines/adult gaming centres
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Non-sector grievances – Unfair or unfortunꦿate betting circumstances, misle🅰ading or unfair advertisements and bonus or free bet disputes.
Tips to Keep in Mind When Raising a Dispute
Here are a few tips that you should keep in mi🍰nd when trying to resolve a disagreement:
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Always read the terms and conditions of a betting operator before placing a bet or opting into a promotion/bonus. Disputes are often caused when consumers are not fully aware of the terms and conditꦑions of a betting operator.
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If you feel that a betting operator has gone against their stated terms or rules, take a screenshot or a photograph and keep it as evidence. Do the same if you feel that an advertisement or bonus is misleading or confusing.
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Try to settle a disputeꦆ directly with a betting operator. This is often the quickest and most efficient way to solve a problem.
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You should keep a record of all the evidence supporting your case. If you think that a betting operator has any evidence that you can use, contact them immediately and ask them to retain it or handꦉ it over to you. You must present all valid evidence in your case submission to IBAS.
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Remember to be patient. IBAS typically solves a case within 8 to 12 weeks of it being submitted to the organisat💧ion. Constant follow-ups, email and phone calls will only delay the process and cause unnecessary confusion.
Issues That Are Not Covered By IBAS
Here are the issues that d☂o not fall within the remit of IBAS:
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Issues related to the standard 𓃲of customer support service pro🥃vided by a betting operator and facilities or premises used for gambling.
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Allegations of cheating, fixing or games being operated in an unfair manner should be reported to the UKGC (or other concerned organisations), not IB🌄AS.
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Customers claiming that they have been allowed to gamble for long periods of time/irresponsibly. If a customer has requested to be excluded from a betting site or betting premises and there is evidence of unfair contract terms or a breach of cont✱ractual terms, a complaint can be filed.
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Allegations of minors being allowed to gamble should be ♚reported to the UKGC (or other concerned organisations), not IBAS.
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Complaints abo🎃ut bets that were refuse🧜d or never processed.
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Complaints about accounts that are restricted or blocked thereby denying a consumer the opportunity to place a bet.
How to Contact IBAS
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If you have an issue with an operator or a bet but are not sure whether IBAS can help you, check the oཧ𒈔n their site.
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If you want to register as an IBAS regulated operator, .
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If you are not satisfied with how your dispute 🏅has been handled by IBAS, .
The below image shows h✃ow you can contact IBAS via post, ꦇtelephone, fax or email:
Useful Links
Below are some links to additional resources tha🌜t you should also consider:
History of IBAS
IBAS was founded as the Independent Betting Arbitration Service by the Trinity Mirror Group in 1998, as a part of Sporting Life’s consumer column ‘The Green Seal Service'. This aim of this column was to address the concerns of punters, and had been doing so for many a year until IBAS was formed to provide a more formal solution.
In 2007, IBAS dropped Arbitration from its name, changing their title to ‘Independent Betting Adjudication Service' to reflect its role more accurately within the United Kingdom gambling industry, after the passing of the 2005 Gambling Act.
Over the years, IBAS has settled literally thousands of disputes: 1,147 in 2000, 3,026 in 2010, 4,998 in 2015 and 6,282 in 2019. The organisation is headquartered in London and is ably led by Chairman Andrew Fraser and M🎶anaging Director Richard Hayler.
References
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ThePuntersPage Final Say
IBAS delivers unbiased and informed adjudications on disputes concerning licensed betting operators and their customers. Before submitting a case to ꦐIBAS, you must take all necessary steps to try to resolve the dispute with the concerned betting operator. This includes going through the terms and conditions of the operator you are trying to reach an agreement with, and using all the options they have available via their complains department or the site's customer support.
IBAS FAQs
‘IBAS' stands for Independent Betting Adjudication Service.
IBAS was founded in🦂 199𝕴8 as the Independent Betting Arbitration Service.
IBAS adjudicates disputes that have been raised by consumers who have been unable to solve an issue with a betting operat🦄or registered with the organisation.
Onlineꦚ sports betting, betting shops, totalisator (tote board) betting, betting machines, online casinos, land-based casinos, bingo, poker, lotteries, stadiums or 🅷racecourses, online account identity disputes and some non-sector grievances.
A case should🎉 be resolved within 8 to 12 weeks of it being submitted to the organisation.