How to Report a South Africa Betting site that Does Not Resolve Customer Issues

Betting on your favorite sports can be entertaining and can also get you some handsome wins in the process. However, despite great expectations, it can be frustrating when you run into a hitch that your bookmaker is not willing to resolve.

There are many reasons why you can complain about a betting site. There are also procedures to follow when presenting your complaints to get an amicable solution. Find out how to complain about betting sites in South Africa.

Reasons why you should complain about a betting site in South Africa

Sometimes bookmakers renege on their promises to offer efficient services and this can be very frustrating. In extreme cases, this could make you lose your hard-earned funds and make you lose trust in betting sites. Below are some of the major reasons why you can complain to a betting site.

Long withdrawal periods

Most bookmakers promise to deliver fast payouts to their bettors. However, sometimes withdrawing your winnings can be delayed for long periods, and despite complaints to the customer service, you do not get assistance.

Sometimes bookmakers will ask for additional verification documents and withhold your winnings, and even after providing this, you can still not access your payouts. The next course of action would be to approach the betting regulatory body if you do not get a valid reason for the long withdrawals from the bookmaker.

Ambiguous Bonus Terms

Sometimes bookmakers will withhold bonuses and cite ambiguous bonus terms despite your adherence to the set terms of the specific bonus. For instance, you may get a welcome bonus that comes with specific wagering requirements. After meeting the wagering requirements, you may then find out that the bonus cannot be accessed or withdrawn if it’s a sticky bonus. If the bookmaker had not included the clause on sticky bonuses, you have a valid reason to complain.

Closure of Account without notice

All bookmakers must include details about reasons why they can close player accounts. This could be as a result of an inactive account or questionable gaming practices of players. The clause on the closing of accounts can be found in the terms and conditions page.

However, if a bookmaker closes your account without giving you a notice or appropriate reasons to do so, you should complain to the independent regulatory bodies.

Failure to honor a self-exclusion request

If you encounter problem gambling/betting and wish to be self-excluded from gambling/betting to try and get over the addiction, a bookmaker ought to honor your request. However, if this is not acted on despite your consistent complaints to the bookmaker, you can escalate this to the relevant regulatory bodies.

Where to complain about a betting site

Bookmakers in South Africa are regulated by the relevant provincial gambling boards. Depending on your location and the bookmaker where you placed your bet, you can approach the relevant board from the 9 provinces namely:

• Western Cape - wcgrb.co.za
• Gauteng Gambling Board (gave bettors 85% of betting licenses in South Africa) - ggb.org.za
• Limpopo - lgb.org.za
• Mpumalanga - mgb.org.za
• Free State – gla.fs.gov.za
• North West - nwgb.co.za
• Eastern Cape - ecgbb.co.za/ecgb
• Kwazulu Natal - kzngbb.org.za
• Northern Cape - ncgb.co.za

How to complain about a South African betting site

Before you approach the betting regulatory body, you should first have your facts right and be convinced that the bookmaker has breached their agreement. You should have approached the bookmaker with your complaints, and if the bookmaker is not willing to resolve the issue, you can seek help with the regulatory body.

You should approach the regulator body with all the documents and evidence of a breach of contract by the bookmaker. This includes information about your betting account, the betting site and its license details, the time and details of the problem, and any screenshots that you may have regarding the issue. You should also have all the communication between you and the bookmaker.

If the complaint is found to be valid, the bookmaker is summoned, and the issue could be resolved. If the regulatory body has received numerous complaints about the bookmaker, the last could be forced to settle the disputes or risk losing their operating license.