Quote:
Originally Posted by LostOstrich
some people have requested template emails, so here's what I sent for information purposes. IANAL! So don't assume that my hastily put together basic complaint is of any actual value, and please feel free to improve on what I wrote. But anyway:
to stars
to the UKGC
How did your complaint go? I found this on their website which inspired no confidence.
Do you investigate all reports of alleged unlicensed or illegal activity?
Our resources are limited and we cannot investigate every complaint. Generally we use our resources to investigate matters of:
national or regional importance
high risk to the licensing objectives
high risk to the integrity of the licensing regime.
Enforcement action in respect of local issues is normally the responsibility of the relevant local licensing authority. We provide advice and assistance as needed.
Any failure on the part of a local licensing authority to take action on a report of unlicensed or illegal activity is not a reason for us to take on the complaint.
Some complaints are recorded for intelligence purposes only. Others are recorded and dealt with on the next visit to the licence holder, and those of a serious or pressing nature are investigated immediately.
We aim to use the lowest effective level of intervention to deal with an issue, for example if we are satisfied that a licence holder has committed an isolated breach and has taken prompt remedial action then that may be the end of the matter. If a licence holder has been wilful or negligent then this could result in formal action being taken, or if a licence holder has breached the law through inadvertence or ignorance then a willingness on their part to take immediate steps to rectify the matter may mean that it is not in the public interest for us to prosecute them, even where an offence has been committed.
Can we help to get your money back?
Generally the answer to this question is no. We have no power to order a licence holder to refund stakes which you have freely placed with a gambling business or put into a gaming machine.
If you have lost a significant sum of money this may be the catalyst for recognising that you have a problem with gambling. In such circumstances you can ask a licence holder to exclude you from the premises or website and seek help from one of the problem gambling organisations.