Starting as an online casino review magazine in 2009, DashTickets has become one of the most trusted niche websites in New Zealand, with its signature DashScore becoming a benchmark for casinos that operate in the country. This success led editor-in-chief Mark Dash to work towards expanding the website’s offerings, and now DashTickets also provides an Alternative Dispute Resolution Service for casinos mentioned on the website.
How ADR works
Mark Dash provides some context: online casinos are largely unregulated to this day, and thousands of New Zealanders rely on reviews to make their choice. When players encounter some extreme situations in casinos that the team personally vetted, it becomes its responsibility to help with resolving them.
Currently, the team offers assistance from a dedicated resolution specialist to any New Zealander who has been treated unfairly by a casino that appears on the DashTickets NZ online casino rating. The expert will gather all the necessary information and contact the casino to reach a solution. The team specifies that a player can apply for ADR in cases of unpaid or held withdrawals, impossible security checks, uncredited deposits, unjustified closure of a player account, or unlawfully forfeited bonus winnings.
‘We work with situations of high importance – the ones that mostly revolve around casinos presumably acting in an illegitimate or otherwise highly inappropriate way. When this happens, we have to interfere to ensure New Zealand players are treated fairly. If the casino won’t interact with us as well, we suggest contacting a lawyer and maybe even going to court. Luckily, we never had to get things this far in our practice yet – most conflicts can be solved in simpler ways,’ says Mark Dash.
How DashTickets’ ADR services work
Any New Zealand player who used one of the DashTickets’ links to register a casino account and then encounter unfair treatment can apply for ADR using a special form on the website. The player has to provide the name of the casino, the disputed amount of money (if any), a thorough example). explanation of the problem, and documentation that supports their claims (a screenshot, for
An ADR service page on DashTickets’ website
DashTickets specifies that the team won’t accept complaints that aren’t related to serious issues like unpaid withdrawals or uncredited deposits. Game glitches, slow loading games, awkward graphics, login issues, long losing streaks, and unresponsive live chat are signs of a low-quality casino experience provided by the website, but none of them should be addressed by the ADR service. However, these complaints may still be helpful for the team when they update the casino reviews, like GameBurnWorld casino magazine doing it on a regular basis.
‘We value feedback from fellow New Zealanders either way. Our goal is to be the most comprehensive database of New Zealand’s offshore casinos, and we are already a go-to place for any player who wants to check a certain website before depositing any money. With the launch ofour ADR service, we will leave an even bigger positive impact on the local gambling industry,’ says Mark Dash.
What makes ADR services so crucial for New Zealand players
New Zealand is particularly interesting when it comes to gambling regulation. On the one hand, the local government provides solid protection to players when it comes to local casinos, whether land-based or online. On the other hand, offshore online casinos fly under the radar most of the time – and these are some of the most popular casinos among players.
An example of a casino review page from DashTickets
‘The situation has been like this for years. While we do hope that something will change in the future, for now, we as journalists have to act as a shield between New Zealand players and various casino malpractices,’ says Sophia Novakivska, author at DashTickets.
As Novakivska explains, DashTickets’ initial idea was to protect New Zealanders from bad casino experiences by publishing extremely detailed reviews from the player’s perspective:
DashTickets relies on the mystery shopper approach to ensure no bias
The team checks the casino’s background
The reviewer plays games using real NZ dollars and attempts to withdraw winnings
The team contacts the customer support service
The reviewer contacts other players to get a full picture
All of this combined leads to a comprehensive review that paints the whole picture and helps locals make informed choices. For the rare cases when the reviews turned out not to be enough, DashTickets now has ADR.