Betting on Football - Dispute Avoidance Top 5 Richard Hayler & John Samuels 10 th September 2015

- Founded in Developed from an informal adjudication vehicle operated by Trinity Mirror within the pages of the Sporting Life newspaper - Purpose is to adjudicate independently on disputes between licensed gambling operators and their customers - Operates on not for profit basis funded by operator registration fees and other contributions - Approved by the Gambling Commission for the provision of ADR Services, July 2015 What is IBAS?

Disputes and Football

Going Up Every Season

CHART COUNTDOWN 5. In-Play Betting: Getting it Right 4. Synchronisation of Conflicting Industry Rules 3. Education, Education, Education (and Training) 2. Data: Transparency and Accuracy 1. Clarity of Market Rules

Are online operators over-stretching themselves? Are there enough traders to monitor the markets they are offering? Does this lead to avoidable pricing errors on unfamiliar leagues/matches? Misleading scoreline information: What happens when a customer places a bet they might not have chosen if presented with accurate in-play information? In-Play – Getting it Right

Are ‘catch all’ disclaimers for misleading information good enough, legally or ethically? Will they fall foul of the 2015 Consumer Rights Act, placing all emphasis for checking accuracy of data onto the consumer? Should operators be expecting more of third party data suppliers? Customers may not always be ‘innocent’ but should be treated fairly. In-Play – Getting it Right

Common Rules, Fewer Disputes?

October 2012 – England’s World Cup Qualifier against Poland is postponed due to heavy rain, and rescheduled 24 hours later. Bookmakers’ rules are divided between bets being made void, bets standing for the delayed game or bets standing unless specifically requested by customers. 4/1 favourite Rooney scores the first goal but England fail to win. Common Rules, Fewer Disputes?

IBAS receives disputes from those who backed Rooney to score first but whose bets were cancelled. IBAS receives disputes from those who backed England and believed that their bets should have been cancelled. Disgruntled customers each cite the example of the other bookmaker as the ‘right’ way to have handled the situation. Common Rules, Fewer Disputes?

Similar situations occur in numerous other markets, including: - Who will be Club X’s next manager? - Some bookmakers price up ‘own goal’ in the next goalscorer markets, others treat own goals as void. Can the industry cooperate to reduce confusion and dispute volumes? Common Rules, Fewer Disputes?

Disappointing how often staff are at the heart of a betting dispute. There are lots of rules and terms to learn, but we sense that operators could do more. Many customers ask the question: “If the member of staff didn’t know, how was I meant to?” Education, Education, Education

Education for customers: Don’t take for granted that your customers understand basic principles of betting. Every major football match that runs into extra time generates dozens of disputes. Why not replace “Match Result Betting” with “90 Minutes Match Result Betting” Scope for education in sponsorship deals? Education, Education, Education

WE DO NOT GUARANTEE THAT CASH OUT WILL BE AVAILABE AT ALL TIMES Education, Education, Education

Shouldn’t be beyond football, media and betting industries to coordinate accurate, consistent statistical data. Why does one site say 4 yellow cards were awarded and another say it was 5? Why does the BBC website say that No.9 scored the first goal, but the club’s Twitter feed say it was No.10? Care in the press box. Was a goal scored in 29:59 or 30:01? Does it really matter? Data – Transparency & Accuracy

Explain to people what they’re betting on. Make space on your app, website or coupon. “Falcao’s Club on 1 st September?” “Will the first goal be scored with the right foot?” “Who will be Man of the Match?” “Which team will have most possession?” ALL TIME #1 Clarity of Market Rules

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