If you require expert advice and assistance with a gambling dispute, we can help.The gambling and gaming industry is a legal maze. Without expert advice and assistance, an operator may inadvertently or purposefully breach gambling regulations and legislation, causing you to lose out significantly. If you have become involved in a gambling dispute, you need a lawyer you can trust to fiercely defend your interests.
At AV Law Solicitors, our team of experts have experience in dealing with a range of gambling disputes. We offer a friendly and confidential service while looking to protect your best interests. Our specialist gambling lawyers have experience in tax, dispute resolution, corporate and regulatory matters, and EU and Competition Laws.
We offer competitive rates, because we understand that our clients may be facing financial difficulties, and understand that a one-size-fits-all approach is not the way to deal with legal problems. We will work with you to find out the circumstances of your case before agreeing the best and most affordable way to move forward with your gambling dispute.
AV Law Solicitors can help clients deal with all types of gambling disputes, including:
- Whether you have won the bet
- The amount you should receive in winnings
- The way your payments were managed
- Terms and Conditions
- Bonus offers
- ID verification
- Closure of your account
- Gambling business decisions such as voiding your bet
- IT issues
- Customer service complaints
Before deciding to make a claim, it is important to ensure that you first complain directly to the gambling business, as well as making sure that you have checked all the terms and conditions of your bet. To promote fairness in gambling, a gambling business should have a complaints procedure in place. You can find details of how to contact the head office and their internal complaints procedure on their website or alternatively, you can complain in person at the premises. You should follow the business’ complaints procedure, giving them all the information required about your complaint, including dates, times and betting/ winnings amounts. You should also share copies of any evidence you have to support your complaint and ensure you keep a copy of all correspondence sent to the business. The gambling business should follow their complaints procedure and investigate your complaint. When the investigation is complete, they will tell you the outcome of your complaint.
Internet gambling
For remote gaming operators and software suppliers to the remote gaming industry, we are able to provide a complete service, not only taking care of all the gaming, regulatory and compliance issues that might arise, but also providing wide-ranging commercial advice in relation to the key issues which affect those acting within this sector.
Our advice to remote gaming operators covers such issues such as:
- The need for operating licences in the UK to engage with UK-based customers
- The impact of Brexit and the rapidly fragmenting European betting market
- The circumstances in which software developers will now require a licence from the Gambling Commission
- Advice on marketing – including drafting promotional policies, terms and conditions
- Advice on compliance with the CAP/BCAP Codes, LCCP and IGRC Codes, particularly in light of the recent Gambling Commission review of the BGO Entertainment Limited licence(April 2017)
- Applications to the Gambling Commission for remote Operating Licences and variations to existing Operating Licences
- Advice on reporting requirements pursuant to the Gambling Act 2005 and the Gambling Commission’s “Licence Conditions and Code of Practice” (LCCP)
- Defending applications for review of Operating or Personal Management Licences
- Applications for remote gaming licences, not only in Great Britain, but also in popular jurisdictions, such as Alderney, the Isle of Man, Gibraltar and Malta.
Lotteries
The regulation of lotteries falls within the remit of the Gambling Commission. Certain types of lottery require a licence from the Commission, as too do external lottery managers. In such circumstances, we are able to advise on all relevant licensing, regulatory and compliance requirements including:
- • The circumstances in which a lottery operating licence is required
- • The circumstances in which a Personal Management Licence is required (unless the small-scale operator exemption applies)
- • Compliance with the statutory requirements for society and local licensing authority lotteries
- • Whether fundraising, work-based and customer lotteries require licences
- • Whether lottery syndicates or syndicate organisers require licences
- • Whether lottery tickets can be sold by machine
- • How to lawfully restructure a lottery to ensure it is a prize competition, free from regulatory control
- • The regulatory and licensing requirements affecting external lottery managers and lottery software manufacturers and suppliers.
Betting
The Gambling Act 2005 came into force in September 2007 and, since that time, the regulation of betting has, for the first time, fallen within the remit of the Gambling Commission. This has served to place a considerably greater licensing, regulatory and compliance burden on the betting industry than existed previously.
We are able to advise the following types of operator on all such licensing, regulatory and compliance requirements:
- Operators of licensed betting shops, whether betting takes place on real or virtual events (including in relation to gaming machine entitlements)
- Betting operators on tracks (defined as meaning a horse race course, dog track or other premises on any part of which a race or other sporting event takes place or is intended to take place)
- Remote betting operators providing betting facilities through remote communication means including, via the internet, the telephone or hand-held mobile devices
- Betting intermediaries (eg betting exchanges and tic-tacs)
- Pool betting operators (covering, for example, “fantasy football” type competitions as well as football and other sports betting)
- Spread betting operators, because, notwithstanding that spread betting is currently regulated by the Financial Services Authority, certain products offered by such operators (eg binary betting) fall to be regulated under the provisions of the Gambling Act 2005
- Gambling software manufacturers and suppliers
- Television companies wishing to provide betting facilities via interactive television.
- Our advice will cover such matters as:
- Applications to the Gambling Commission for Operating Licences and variations to and continuation (on a change of control occurring) of existing Operating Licences
- Applications to the Gambling Commission for Personal Management Licences (in situations where a person has responsibility for:
- Overall strategy & delivery of gaming operations
- Financial planning, control & budgeting
- Marketing & commercial development
- Regulatory compliance
- Gaming related IT provision and security
- A unless the small-scale operator exemption applies
