So it was a waste of time bringing it here in the first place?
Not at all, we're free to look at the case. The only question is whether the casino is willing to cooperate with us on it, which they obviously were.
Having a designated ADR does not preclude a casino from discussing the case with another ADR, with the usual exception that if the case is already in progress at their designated ADR then they're unlikely to enter into discussions with a second ADR. There are exceptions in very special circumstances.
Can a casino change whose its ADR? Or is that set in the license?
So far as I know there is no jurisdiction where a casino's designated ADR is set by the licensing body. The only exception I'm aware of is Kahnawake where the ADR of choice is their own in-house dispute arbitration service (which is excellent by the way). In all the other relevant cases I'm aware of the casino designates the ADR, not the licensing body.
In all jurisdictions -- including Kahnawake -- the casino is free to deal with whatever ADR they chose to on an per-case basis or as a ongoing policy. The "designated ADR" is generally considered to be a "recommended ADR" with no intention to exclude other ADRs. Even the UKGC has said this although they've not made it explicit in their
(Licence conditions and codes of practice) which to the casual reader seems to imply otherwise.
The fact that many casinos -- especially the large corporatised casino groups like Ladbrokes, WillHill, etc -- ignore the "recommended" bit and refuse to talk to anyone but their designated ADR is a
corporate decision not something dictated by license or law. This is a battle we've been fighting for many years. See
Casino Industry Myths: The Data Protection Act (DPA) and
Casino Industry Myths: The General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR"), not to mention
Who are the GDPR violators?, for some historical perspective on this.