Complaints
With around 60% of the UK population playing our games, there might be a slip-up every now and again. But whatever it is, we’d love to try and put it right if we can. Just let us know what happened.
You can email us at:
complaints@national-lottery.co.uk
We aim to respond to email complaints within 24 hours.
Post
Please write to us at:
Customer Operations,
The National Lottery,
PO Box 251,
Watford,
WD18 9BR
We aim to respond within 5 working days of receiving your letter.
Phone
Please call us on:
0370 737 3983
For the hard of hearing using Minicom equipment, please call 0370 737 8249.
Online players:
Please call the number above and select option 1.
8am – 8pm Monday to Saturday
9am – 5pm Sunday
Please note that during the festive period there will be altered opening hours:
- Wednesday 25th December: 10am – 8pm
- Thursday 26th December: 10am – 5pm
- Wednesday 1st January: 10am – 8pm
If you need to claim a prize on Christmas Day or New Years Day that is in the 180th day of the claim period please read our T&Cs on The National Lottery website and email help@national-lottery.co.uk before the end of the claim period.
Retail players:
Please call the number above and select option 2.
9am – 8pm Monday to Saturday
9am – 5pm Sunday
Please note that during the festive period there will be altered opening hours:
- Wednesday 25th December: 10am – 8pm
- Thursday 26th December: 10am – 5pm
- Wednesday 1st January: 10am – 8pm
If you need to claim a prize on Christmas Day or New Years Day that is in the 180th day of the claim period please read our T&Cs on The National Lottery website and email help@national-lottery.co.uk before the end of the claim period.
(Calls cost no more than calls to 01 and 02 numbers. If your phone tariff offers inclusive calls to landlines, calls to 03 numbers will be included on the same basis.)
What happens next?
Hopefully it’ll all get sorted out straight away, but you can take your complaint higher if you need to. Here are the three stages of our complaints process.
Stage 1 – Please contact us
Get in touch using the above contact details. Our highly-trained advisors are ready to address most issues and queries immediately.
Stage 2 – Escalation to a Manager
If you’re not happy with our response, you can escalate your complaint to one of our Managers who will provide a response within 10 working days.
Stage 3 – Escalation to a Senior Manager
If you’re still not 100% happy, you can request a further investigation by a Senior Manager. They will endeavour to contact you with the final outcome of your complaint within 10 working days, although it make take longer if your complaint is of a complex nature.
In the unlikely event that you remain dissatisfied, you may refer your complaint to the regulator of The National Lottery, or The National Lottery’s alternative dispute resolution provider, as outlined below:
Alternative dispute resolution (ADR)
This provides an independent and impartial review of transaction related disputes that remain unresolved after our complaints process is complete. For The National Lottery, alternative dispute resolution is provided by the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR).
A dispute can only be referred to CEDR for review if it relates to a Player’s claim of financial entitlement as a result of participation in one of The National Lottery’s constituent lotteries. The dispute must have already concluded our complaints process and received a ‘Senior Manager Response’ as a result.
You have up to 12 months from concluding our complaints process within which to refer your dispute to CEDR. We ensure that this is free of charge for National Lottery players.
Any decision made by CEDR will be informed by the relevant Games Rules, Procedures, and/or Account Terms. CEDR cannot review service related complaints regarding how the National Lottery is operated or our licensing requirements. Full information regarding the service CEDR provide can be found at www.cedr.com.
Please note that once you have made an application to CEDR, we will not be able to enter into any further correspondence with you in respect of your dispute.
You can contact the National Lottery’s alternative dispute resolution provider at:
Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution 100 St. Paul’s Churchyard London EC4M 8BU Telephone: 020 7520 3817 Email: applications@cedr.com
Removal of the European Online Dispute Resolution (ODR)
On 31st December 2020, the United Kingdom left the European Union. This means that you can no longer use the European Commission’s Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) platform to refer your complaint to our alternative dispute resolution (ADR) provider. However, if you would wish to raise a dispute you can still contact our ADR provider, the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution, directly (at www.cedr.com).
The Gambling Commission
Allwyn is the operator of the National Lottery, and we are regulated by the Gambling Commission. If you feel that we have not acted in line with our operating licence, or have not dealt with your complaint properly, you can complain to the Gambling Commission.
You can contact the Gambling Commission at:
Gambling Commission
4th Floor
Victoria Square House
Victoria Square
Birmingham
B2 4BP
Telephone: 0121 230 6666
