The Independent Betting Adjudication Service (IBAS), founded in 1998, is a third party organisation that settles
disputes
Controversy (, ) is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of conflicting opinion or point of view. The word was coined from the Latin ''controversia'', as a composite of ''controversus'' – "turned in an oppo ...
between gambling establishments registered with IBAS and their customers in the United Kingdom. The organisation, which was originally part of the Sporting Life's Green Seal service, was formerly known as the ''Independent Betting Arbitration Service''. The Service dropped ''
Arbitration
Arbitration is a formal method of dispute resolution involving a third party neutral who makes a binding decision. The third party neutral (the 'arbitrator', 'arbiter' or 'arbitral tribunal') renders the decision in the form of an 'arbitrati ...
'' from its name in 2007, opting instead to use ''
Adjudication
Adjudication is the legal process by which an arbiter or judge reviews evidence and argumentation, including legal reasoning set forth by opposing parties or litigants, to come to a decision which determines rights and obligations between th ...
'' to better reflect its role after the enactment of the
2005 Gambling Act.
IBAS deals with several sectors in the realm of gambling. The sectors include:
*
Betting Exchanges
A betting exchange is a marketplace for customers to bet on the outcome of discrete events. Betting exchanges offer the same opportunities to bet as a bookmaker with a few differences. Gamblers can buy (also known as "back") and sell (also known ...
*Betting Intermediaries
*
Betting Shops
In the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, a betting shop is a shop away from a racecourse ("off-course") where one can legally place bets in person with a licensed bookmaker. Most shops are part of chains, includi ...
*Bingo Clubs
*
Greyhounds
The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Some are kept as show dogs or pets.
Greyhounds are defined as a tall, muscular, smooth-coated, "S-s ...
*Greyhound Stadia Pool Betting
*
Lotteries
A lottery (or lotto) is a form of gambling that involves the drawing of numbers at random for a prize. Some governments outlaw lotteries, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find som ...
*
Online Gambling
Online gambling (also known as iGaming or iGambling) is any kind of gambling conducted on the internet. This includes virtual poker, casinos, and sports betting. The first online gambling venue opened to the general public was ticketing for th ...
(UK and Offshore)
*
Gaming Machines
*
Mobile Gambling
*Totalisator Betting
Dispute involvement
Since its inception, IBAS has been handling the majority of gambling disputes in the UK. In 2000, the first year that IBAS was fully operational, approximately 800 disputes went to panel, a number which remained relatively constant the following year in 2001. In 2002, the number of cases to panel rose to 1126 due to the abolishment of the UK's gambling tax. Again, IBAS saw another increase in cases to panel, this time as a result of the 2005 Gambling Act. In 2007, nearly 1700 disputes were handled by the IBAS panel, 372 of which were of the internet variety. IBAS claims to have awarded customers over £365,000 from dispute resolutions in 2007. There are also instances when IBAS rules in favour of the establishment, rather than the customer. In the year ending 30 September 2024, only 2.9% (94 of 3,223) of customer complaints were upheld by IBAS.
IBAS will become involved in a dispute only after the gambling establishment and the customer(s) have made attempts to resolve the issue amongst themselves. If a deadlock remains, the dispute will be reviewed by IBAS if the following conditions are met:
*a resolution has not been reached to satisfaction of either party involved
*both parties agree to the terms and conditions of involving IBAS as a third party
adjudicator
An adjudicator is someone who presides, judges, and arbitrates during a formal dispute or competition. They have numerous purposes, including preliminary legal judgments, to determine applicant eligibility, or to assess contenders' performan ...
If the dispute merits involvement, IBAS will accept written statements describing the conflict from both parties involved. IBAS verifies the establishment has upheld their own rules and regulations for gambling. If no rule that covers the dispute exists, IBAS will set forth its own rule based on what would be acceptable by industry standards. Both parties are bound by IBAS's ruling.
Gambling commission
One objective of the
UK Gambling Commission is to ensure that all gamblers are treated fairly in accordance with the rules and regulations established for the gambling industry. This includes disputes between customers and gambling operators. By law, any sector in the realm of gambling under the jurisdiction of the Gambling Commission must use an independent, third party to resolve disputes. Because IBAS is recognised as the third party adjudicator for nearly all
bookmakers
A bookmaker, bookie, or turf accountant is an organization or a person that accepts and pays out gambling, bets on sporting and other events at agreed-upon odds.
History
The first bookmaker, Harry Ogden, stood at Newmarket Racecourse, Newmark ...
in the UK, the Gambling Commission works closely with IBAS to reduce the number of disputes between customers and gambling operators.
Case studies
From time to time, IBAS publishes a
case study
A case study is an in-depth, detailed examination of a particular case (or cases) within a real-world context. For example, case studies in medicine may focus on an individual patient or ailment; case studies in business might cover a particular f ...
on one of their past rulings. These case studies provide gamblers with examples of previous disputes to help prevent future problems between gamblers and operators. The studies focus on aspects of gambling that are often confusing or misinterpreted. Case studies are available for several betting options offered to UK gamblers.
One
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
study published stated that ''all football bets are based on 90 minutes, unless otherwise specified by the use of the words outright, win trophy or another suitable phrase that leaves no doubt as to the preferred settlement criteria.'' Bettors need to specify which option they desire prior to placing the intended wager, otherwise, the bet is assumed to be based on 90 minutes of play.
Adjudication Case Studies – Football
/ref>
See also
* 2005 Gambling Act
* UK Gambling Commission
Notes
{{reflist
External links
Official site
Gambling and society