Casino bonus dispute: organise the terms and evidence
If a bonus decision affects your balance, ask which term was applied, what transaction breached it and how the disputed amount was calculated. Do not keep gambling to try to strengthen a complaint.
Follow the steps below. Keep your records privately; do not send them to this site.
Identify exactly what was removed or refused
Write down the amounts shown as cash, deposit-related funds and bonus funds, using the operator’s own labels. Record the date of each screenshot. Ask for clarification if the categories are unclear.
The Commission’s guidance distinguishes deposit and bonus balances. Wagering restrictions should not be used to prevent withdrawal of a deposit balance, subject to applicable regulatory obligations. That does not mean all promotional credit is freely withdrawable cash.
Preserve the offer and terms that applied at the time
Keep the promotion, any relevant messages and the version of the terms you were shown. Note when you accepted the offer. A current website page may differ from the terms involved in an earlier dispute.
The Commission’s transparency guidance addresses significant conditions and access to promotional terms. If your concern is that a restriction was not made clear, identify the particular restriction and where you looked for it. Do not simply write that all small print is invalid.
Ask for the decision and calculation
Request the exact clause, the event or transaction relied on and a breakdown of the amount withheld or removed. Ask the operator to distinguish its factual finding from the rule it says applies.
As a fictional example, an account adjustment of £180 needs its own explanation. A £100 deposit and an £80 promotional entry appearing nearby do not prove that the adjustment was calculated from those two items. Ask for the ledger and calculation rather than assuming.
Set out the disagreement in three parts
First, identify the decision: what the company did and when. Second, explain the factual or terms-related point you dispute. Third, state what you want investigated or corrected.
You might write: “You removed [amount] on [date], referring to [clause]. Please identify the transactions you rely on, the applicable version of that term and how it produced this amount. My concern is [specific point], supported by [record].”
Keep the complaint separate from further play
You do not need another deposit, another bonus or a new series of bets to organise the evidence. Preserve the records you already have and use the complaints channel.
If the operator’s final response leaves an eligible transaction dispute unresolved, check its named ADR provider. Do not assume IBAS covers the company, or that every dispute about a promotion has the same answer.
An evidence list for a bonus dispute
- Offer name and date accepted.
- Terms supplied at that time, if available.
- Balances shown before and after the disputed decision.
- Relevant transactions and their references.
- The refusal or adjustment message.
- A precise question about the clause, evidence or calculation.
Who this guide is for
This article concerns customers dealing with a Gambling Commission-licensed business in Great Britain: England, Scotland and Wales. Check the operator’s legal entity, licence and your location. Do not assume the same procedure applies in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland or to an offshore operator.
Sources checked . General information, not legal advice. The rules that apply depend on where and when this happened.