INSIGHT
Dispute resolution:
the affiliate’s role
Affiliates can play a critical role in mediating and resolving player complaints or disputes with online
casinos. Dimitar Dimitrov of AskGamblers provides a progress report on its Casino Complaint Service,
sharing some of its key metrics with iGB Affiliate.
Let face it, online gambling has never
been as safe and secure as it is nowadays,
and most players never experience
any troubles while gambling online.
Furthermore, considering all recent and
ongoing changes to gambling legislation
across Europe and Asia, we would expect
the overall gambling environment for
players to improve even more. However,
there are times when things go wrong, and
players find themselves having a problem
with their online casino. Whether the issue
concerns a delayed or declined payment, a
bonus terms violation or soft-ware glitch is
quite an important detail, but what really
matters in these situations is whether or
not the casino operator reacts adequately
and responsibly. The first thing players
do when they encounter a problem is
to directly contact the casino and try to
find a working solution to their problem
with the relevant casino representative
or department. Unfortunately, it’s not
at all rare for such disputes to remain
unresolved by the casino, and this is
usually the point at which these issues are
referred to independent authorities, such
as other gambling websites and forums
which offer a complaint resolution service
to their members.
Despite the fact that the official
authorities are arguably better equipped
and have greater time and resources at
their disposal to help resolve such disputes
between players and online casinos, it’s
somewhat surprising to discover out
that independent gambling websites and
forums are actually more popular among
players than the authorities themselves.
Websites like CasinoMeister, Gambling
Grumbles, AskGamblers, ThePogg and
LatestCasinoBonuses, to name but a few,
are already so popular among online
gamblers that many players now even
prefer to seek help in the first instance from
them, instead of filing a formal complaint
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iGB Affiliate Issue 48 DEC/JAN 2014/2015
Figure 1: Types of complaint
to the official regulatory body for the
relevant casino. Most often, the mediation
service offered by the aforementioned
gambling websites is working fast and
efficiently, and this is probably what makes
these sites the players’ preferred choice,
ahead of the generally slower formal complaint process, conducted by the official
authorities. Of course, to post a complaint
with some of these websites doesn’t
necessarily mean the player is going to win
their case. However, what’s guaranteed is
that they will receive fair treatment and
investigation, based on the available facts
and evidence.
AskGamblers’ Casino Complaint Service
was devised to help players resolve issues
they may face when they gamble at any