A copyable formal complaint email for a casino, why each part is there, and the eight week route to free ADR if the complaint is not resolved.
Most complaints fail on form rather than on substance. They arrive as a paragraph of frustration with no account reference, no dates and no stated outcome, and they get answered with a template.
Here is one that does not.
Three things, in order.
Find the operator's complaints procedure. Licensees must provide customers with clear information on how to complain, the procedure, response timescales and escalation routes. If you cannot find it, that absence is itself worth citing in the complaint.
Note the date of your first contact. The eight week clock below runs from when the operator receives the complaint.
Collect your evidence before writing: dates and times, transaction references, screenshots, and the exact wording of any term you are relying on.
Subject: Formal complaint, account [your account ID], [short description] I am making a formal complaint under your published complaints procedure. Account details Account ID or username: [ ] Registered name: [ ] Registered email: [ ] What happened On [date] at approximately [time], [one or two plain sentences describing the event. No adjectives. Just what occurred.] [If money is involved: the amount, the transaction reference, and the date it left or should have arrived.] What I have done so far [Date]: contacted support via [channel]. Reference [ ]. I was told [ ]. [Date]: [next contact, same format.] Why I believe this is wrong [Quote the specific term, rule or published statement you are relying on, and say where it appears. One paragraph.] What I am asking for [State a single, specific outcome. For example: payment of the withheld balance of [amount] to the registered payment method, within [timeframe].] I would like written confirmation that this complaint has been logged, the reference number, and your expected response time. If this complaint is not resolved, I will refer it to the ADR entity named in your terms and conditions. Please treat this email as my formal complaint for the purposes of that referral. [Your name] [Date]
Every section is doing a job.
Naming it a formal complaint starts the procedure rather than another support conversation. Account details stop the first reply being a request for them. The timeline shows you used the process. The quoted term moves it from unhappiness to a specific breach. The single asked-for outcome gives them something to agree to.
The closing line matters most. It tells the operator you know the escalation route exists, which changes who is reading the email.
If it is not resolved, you can refer the dispute to an ADR entity after using the complaints procedure, within eight weeks of the operator receiving the complaint, provided you have cooperated with the process in a timely way.
Licensees must have arrangements in place for customers to refer a dispute to an ADR entity, and the ADR service must be free to the customer. An ADR entity is a person offering alternative dispute resolution services accredited by the Secretary of State under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024.
Two things worth knowing. A licensee cannot use terms that restrict your right to take court proceedings. And a resolution you agree to with ADR assistance can be binding on both sides, so read what you are agreeing to.
If the complaint is about a break that was not honoured, see cooling off, time out or self exclusion, which one you actually want.
UK Gambling Commission, LCCP condition 6.1.1, complaints and disputes. https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/licensees-and-businesses/lccp/condition/6-1-1-complaints-and-disputes
| Stage | What it is | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Complaint sent | Use the words formal complaint | Day nought |
| Operator acknowledges | Ask for a reference number | Per the published timescale |
| Operator responds | The substantive answer | Per the published timescale |
| ADR referral | Free to you, through the entity named in the terms | After the procedure, within eight weeks of receipt |
| Court | Your right to it cannot be restricted by the terms | Separate from the above |
You can refer an unresolved dispute to an ADR entity within eight weeks of the operator receiving the complaint, having used the complaints procedure and cooperated in a timely manner.
No. ADR services must be free to the customer.
Licensees cannot use terms that restrict your right to take court proceedings. A resolution you agree to with ADR assistance can be binding on both parties, so read any settlement before accepting it.
Complaints and ADR rules are from UKGC LCCP condition 6.1.1. The template wording and why it is shaped that way are general guidance. Last reviewed October 15, 2026.