Alternative dispute resolution (ADR)
Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) is an independent, out-of-court service that rules on a disagreement between a player and a gambling operator once the operator’s own complaints procedure has failed to settle it. It handles transactional and contractual disputes, such as a withheld withdrawal, a settled bet or how a bonus term was applied. It is free to the player, because the operator pays the fee. Which ADR body applies depends on who issued the operator’s licence, not on where you live.
How ADR works for Irish players
Every ADR body expects you to have gone through the operator’s internal complaints process first, in writing, and the operator should then name the ADR body and give you a final letter with a reference number. eCOGRA, approved for operators holding a Malta Gaming Authority or Great Britain Gambling Commission licence, says operators must resolve a complaint within eight weeks and refuses disputes older than one year from the end of that process.
Whether the outcome binds the operator varies between ADR bodies, so read the named body’s own rules before you file.
ADR set against a GRAI complaint
Players often treat ADR and a complaint to the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland as the same route. They answer different questions, as the rows below set out.
ADR body | GRAI complaint (Part 7) |
|---|---|
| Decides your individual money dispute | Does not handle individual customer disputes |
| Free to the player, paid by operators | Free to the complainant |
| Applies to the operator's licensing jurisdiction | Applies only to GRAI licensees |
| Time limits set by each body | Within 12 months of the contravention |
| No power to sanction the operator | Can lead to investigation and enforcement |
What ADR is often confused with
Under Part 7 of the Gambling Regulation Act 2024, a GRAI complaint concerns a licensee breaching its obligations, and section 180 sets out the grounds; it will not return a disputed balance.
A foreign regulator is a separate route again: since 1 April 2019 the MGA’s Player Support Unit has left the merits of player disputes to the ADR body, keeping complaints about unlawful or unfair conduct for itself. Choosing the wrong route costs weeks.
