Ladbrokes to learn fate after declined bets fiasco in UK

In a matter of days, UK betting giant Ladbrokes will know their fate in an arbitration case alleging the company’s software was frustrating punters’ attempts to place wagers on horse racing.

The Guardian last Wednesday reported that the UK’s primary Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) service and the Independent Betting Adjudication Service (IBAS) was looking into three similar complaints concerning some online bets that Ladbrokes declined, but punters allege they were cancelled.

The disputes concern racing wagers that were declined by Ladbrokes, however the punters are saying they received an official bet number suggesting the bets were accepted.

GUIDE: BEST UK BETTING SITES

The punter realised their wagers had been declined after the races but allege the bets were graded as “cancelled” calling into question whether the bets were previously accepted before there were declined.

The three bets were placed individually over a period of months, and if IBAS finds there were software malfunction on the part of Ladbrokes, it is likely other similar cases have gone unreported.

The annual report of the IBAS for the past 12 months, ending September 30, shows it investigated 3,595 complaints of which 1923 went in favour of the operator, while 227 favoured customers. Also, 1,445 of the complaints were to the satisfaction of customers.

On November 1, a new standard for ADR providers released last month by the UK Gambling Commission started taking effect to ensure a fairer gambling environment for punters.

Punters have long been complaining about gambling operators rejecting their bets or limiting them to lessen their potential losses.