Dispute involvement
Since its inception, IBAS has been handling the majority of gambling disputes in the UK. [4] 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. [5] 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. [6] There are also instances when IBAS rules in favour of the establishment, rather than the customer. [7] [8]
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
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.
Dispute resolution or dispute settlement is the process of resolving disputes between parties. The term dispute resolution is sometimes used interchangeably with conflict resolution.
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