ADR is the formal escalation route when an operator will not resolve a complaint. It is free to you, and in the serious jurisdictions the operator is bound by the outcome while you are not.
The order of operations
Get this order right, because skipping a step gets your complaint rejected on procedure rather than merit.
- 01Complain to the operator, in writing. Keep the reference number.
- 02Wait out the operator's own process — typically up to eight weeks, or until it issues a final response or deadlock letter.
- 03Go to the ADR named in its terms and conditions. It must be named. If it is not, that is itself a licence issue.
- 04Submit the evidence, not the grievance: dates, amounts, the exact clause relied on, the correspondence.
What ADR is, by jurisdiction
- Great Britain. Mandatory. Every UKGC licensee must belong to an approved ADR scheme; IBAS and eCOGRA are the best-known. The decision binds the operator.
- Malta. After the operator's process, escalate to the MGA Player Support Unit.
- Weaker jurisdictions. Frequently nominal. This is the practical difference the licence tier represents — see Curaçao.
What ADR will not do
It resolves contractual disputes: withheld winnings, a voided bonus, a delayed payout, a term applied unfairly. It will not return money you lost fairly, and it will not entertain "I regret playing".
How the Tribunal relates to it
The Tribunal is not an ADR and does not claim to be. We cannot compel an operator to pay. What we do is publish the case, put a deadline on the operator in public, and publish the answer or the silence.
Use both. ADR for the enforceable decision; the Tribunal for the daylight — and, frequently, the daylight is what produces the decision.