How-to
Reporting a fake betting app or misleading advert
Report a fake betting app to the store that lists it, and a misleading advert to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) handles unfair consumer practices. Betting without a GRAI licence is an offence (s.67(1)). Keep screenshots, the link and the date before you report.
Editorial team · checked
What to collect first
- Screenshots of the app page or advert, with the date and time.
- The link, or the app name and developer name shown in the store.
- Where you saw it: social media, search, a message or a website.
- Any licence number it displays. Compare it with the GRAI register.
- Any payment you made or details you shared.
In short: save the evidence before you report, because adverts and listings get removed.
Steps by channel
- Stop and do not pay. Do not enter ID or card details.
- Result: you limit the damage.
- Common mistake: replying to a message that asks for a transfer outside the app.
- Report the app in the store. Apple and Google both give a way to report an app from its listing.
- Result: the store can review the listing.
- Where the report option sits and what each store promises: Not checked.
- Report the advert to the ASA. Use the complaint route on adstandards.ie.
- Result: the ASA assesses the advert against its Code.
- Common mistake: complaining to the ASA about an app that has no advert.
- Report unfair practices to the CCPC. Use it for misleading claims aimed at consumers.
- Result: the CCPC can act on patterns it sees.
- Tell the GRAI about unlicensed betting. See its enforcement page for how.
- Result: the GRAI knows about the operator.
- Whether the GRAI has a public reporting form: Not checked.
- Contact your bank if you paid. Tell the card issuer or bank what happened.
- Bank procedures: Not checked.
In short: stop, save evidence, then report to the store, the ASA, the CCPC and the GRAI as they fit.
Who handles what
| Channel | Report it if | What it can do | Response time |
|---|---|---|---|
| App Store or Google Play | An app copies a brand or hides who runs it | Review the listing | Not checked |
| ASA | An advert promises wins, targets under-18s or hides that it is an ad | Assess the advert against its Code and publish a decision naming the brand | Not checked |
| CCPC | A trader misleads consumers | Issue compliance notices and prohibition orders, or bring cases | Not checked |
| GRAI | Someone offers or advertises betting without a licence | Seek a High Court order against advertising or providing it (s.75) | Not checked |
Posing as a licensee is an offence (s.111(2)). Each body publishes its own process and timescale. We quote none until we have captured them.
In short: the store handles the app, the ASA the advert, the CCPC the practice and the GRAI the licence.
What happens next
- The ASA can publish a decision that names the advertiser and brand.
- The CCPC can use compliance notices, prohibition orders and court action for misleading practices.
- The GRAI can seek a High Court order on advertising of unlicensed betting (s.75). That can include blocking access, freezing accounts, refunds to players and publishing the decision.
- We do not promise a result, a refund or a timescale.
In short: each body has real powers, but none of them guarantees an outcome for you.
If it does not work
- The store says no breach. Report the advert or the practice to the ASA or CCPC instead.
- The advert has gone. Send your screenshots. The date and link still help.
- You already paid. Contact your bank first. Then use the order in complaining about a betting app.
In short: use another channel when one says no, and keep your screenshots.
How we checked
- Law: ss.67, 75 and 111 of the Gambling Regulation Act 2024.
- ASA: Code Section 10 and its scope rules. CCPC: its published advertising guidance. See ASA, CCPC and GRAI enforcement.
- Still to capture: Apple and Google report forms, the ASA and CCPC complaint routes, and the GRAI Compliance and Complaints FAQ. Each needs a date.
- We did not report any real app or advert to test the channels.
In short: powers are sourced; forms and timescales are not checked yet.
What changed
- 7 November 2026: first version of this page.
In short: no earlier versions exist.
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