One of the alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services available within the UK gambling sector that makes formal judgements on disagreements between licensed gambling companies and their clients for more than 20 years – the Independent Betting Adjudication Service (IBAS) – is now seeking to become the new Gambling Ombudsman in the country.
The ambitious plan to take over the role and powers of the UK’s new Gambling Ombudsman was officially announced by the service in a statement published on its website earlier this week. Everyone in the sector has been anticipating that, as part of its still-ongoing review of the UK Gambling Act, the country’s Government will probably initiate the establishment of a wholly new role in order to make sure that a better level of protection for British customers exists.
The last few years have seen the Government push the legal gambling industry in the UK to raise its standards so that an increased level of protection is available to consumers.
Richard Hayler, the managing director of the Independent Betting Adjudication Service, highlighted the credentials of the body specialising in the local gambling sector, saying that it not only had the necessary expertise and experience but also remained committed to making independent decisions as part of the new Gambling Ombudsman’s role.
IBAS Has the Necessary Expertise and Experience to Become the UK Gambling Ombudsman
Mr Hayler welcomed the establishment of a new Gambling Ombudsman figure, emphasising the importance that the IBAS is currently operated by an organisation that fully realises the needs of the country’s gambling sector and already has expertise in protecting consumers and helping customers against harm.
The IBAS has almost 25 years of experience in resolving disputes – a period that saw the body establish itself as the leading alternative dispute resolution service provider on the territory of the UK, dealing with over 80% of the gambling complaints in the country.
The managing director of the body further noted that the Independent Betting Adjudication Service has so far resolved more than 85,000 disputes between gambling companies and their customers. According to Mr Hayler, an independent Gambling Ombudsman with additional resources that is established on the foundations of the IBAS as it currently is would be excellently placed to make sure that licensed gambling companies operated in a fair, consistent and transparent manner, to raise industry standard and run a reliable decision making and constructive dispute-avoidance process.
At the time it presented itself as the best candidate for the Gambling Ombudsman role, the IBAS proposed a roadmap that outlines a number of major objectives. The latter involve the necessity for new and compulsory funding originating from the legal gambling sector that should still not affect the independence and fairness of the Ombudsman when making decisions on gambling disputes; the establishment of a special governance framework setting for the body’s area of responsibility; and the necessity for the establishment of a Fair Play Code featuring criteria for making decisions on complaints regarding gambling-related harm and the fairness of operators’ terms and conditions.
- Author
Daniel Williams
