If we have got it wrong
LadBet Complaints
Support first, then a formal complaint with a written response inside eight weeks, then an independent adjudicator whose decision binds us and not you. Using it costs nothing and affects nothing about your account.
A complaints procedure is a licence condition rather than a courtesy, and the part of it that matters is the end: a body we do not control, whose decision we are bound by and you are not. Everything before that is us trying to resolve something ourselves, which usually works and is not the point of the process.
Stage one: support
Most things end here, generally because the answer turns out to be an explanation rather than a decision.
What to bring
A bet reference for a settlement question, the amount and time for a payment question, and the exact wording of any error message. Live chat answers in about 1 minute 50 seconds and runs around the clock.
When to move on
When you have had an answer and you still think it is wrong. That is the trigger for stage two, and repeating the same conversation with a different agent is not — they will give the same answer, because it is the same rule.
Stage two: a formal complaint
Raised through support by asking for the matter to be logged as a complaint, or by email. It is a different process from a chat rather than an escalation of one.
What happens
The complaint is logged with a reference, reviewed by somebody who was not part of the original conversation, and answered in writing. Our target is far sooner, and the outer limit is eight weeks, which is the regulatory maximum rather than an expectation.
What to include
What happened, what you were told, why you disagree, and what outcome you are asking for. That last one matters more than people expect: a complaint that states the remedy sought is resolved considerably faster than one that describes a grievance and leaves us to guess at what would settle it.
Stage three: independent adjudication
Available once we have issued a final response, or once eight weeks have passed without one, whichever comes first.
How it works
An approved alternative dispute resolution body reviews the complaint. We supply our records, you supply yours, and they decide. The service is free to you and paid for by us, which is a deliberate feature of the regime rather than generosity.
The asymmetry
Their decision is binding on us and not on you. If they find in your favour we implement it. If they find in ours, you keep every other legal route, including the courts. That imbalance exists because the alternative — a process where the operator can walk away from an adverse finding — would be worthless.
Which body
Named in the formal procedure along with how to contact them, because a page you have to ask for is not a route anybody can use.
What a complaint will not change
Honest expectations save time on both sides.
- A settled bet that settled correctly. Disagreeing with a rule is not the same as the rule having been applied wrongly.
- An expired free bet or bonus. Expiry is set when the token is issued and cannot be altered.
- A self-exclusion or GAMSTOP registration. Not liftable by us, by an adjudicator, or by anyone.
- The price of a market. A margin in the odds is how the book is built, not a fault in it.
What a complaint is genuinely for: a bet settled against the rules, a payment mishandled, a limit that failed to work, information we gave you that was wrong, or treatment you think fell below what the licence requires. Those are the cases the process exists to catch and it does catch them.
What makes a complaint resolve quickly
Four habits, and they are the difference between a fortnight and an afternoon.
State the outcome you want
A complaint that says what would settle it is resolved considerably faster than one that describes a grievance and leaves us to infer the remedy. If the answer you want is a bet resettled, say so. If it is an explanation and an acknowledgement, say that instead — it is a legitimate outcome and it is a quicker one to deliver.
Send the references
A bet reference, a transaction time and amount, or a chat transcript identifier. Without them the first three days of a complaint are spent working out which event is being discussed, which is time neither side gets back.
Keep it to one issue
Four grievances in one message are answered at the pace of the slowest of them. Raised separately, three of the four are usually resolved while the difficult one is still being investigated.
Complaining does not affect your account
Stated plainly because people ask, and because the fear is reasonable.
A complaint is logged against the issue rather than against you. It has no bearing on limits, on offers, on whether a bet is accepted, or on anything else. Operators are prohibited from treating customers adversely for complaining, and it would be a poor commercial decision even if they were not: a complaint that identifies a genuine fault is the cheapest bug report we will ever receive.
Play at a stake you would happily repeat next Saturday. Free confidential advice is available day and night from the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133. An account is for adults; the age bar is 18.
Common questions
How do I make a complaint?
Ask support to log it formally, or send it by email. It is reviewed by somebody outside the original conversation and answered in writing.
How long does it take?
Our target is well inside eight weeks, which is the regulatory maximum for a written response.
What happens if I am still unhappy?
It goes to an independent adjudicator once we have issued a final response or eight weeks have passed. Their decision binds us and not you.
Does it cost anything?
Nothing. The adjudication service is free to you and funded by us.
Will complaining affect my account?
No. It is logged against the issue rather than against you, and operators are prohibited from treating customers adversely for complaining.
Can a complaint overturn a settled bet?
Only if it was settled against the rules. Disagreeing with a rule that was correctly applied will not change the outcome.