Ladbrokes

Ladbrokes Review (2023)

Ladbrokes is one of the UK's best-known betting brands, with its stores a familiar sight on high streets up and down the country, but how does its online operation compare to rival sites?

Part of gambling giant GVC Holdings - which is now known as Entain - Ladbrokes is a sister site of Coral but retains its own unique brand, which is recognisable by a sharp red colour scheme.

Ladbrokes is primarily a sports betting company but, like a lot of brands in the industry, it has been branching out more and more over the course of the past few years to broaden its appeal.

As a result, Ladbrokes no longer just offers a sportsbook with the site also home to an online casino, as well as giving its customers the chance to play other games such as bingo and poker.

All that means Ladbrokes offers users a complete package, but those who are yet to take advantage of the site's solid welcome bonus might have some questions before signing up.

Introduction to Ladbrokes

Ladbrokes is one of the oldest gambling brands in the whole world, with the company's roots able to be traced all the way back to 1886 when it was set up as a commission agent for horses that were trained at the Ladbroke Hall venue, which can be found in Warwickshire.

The Ladbrokes name was adopted in the early 20th century and remains in operation to this day, although the ownership of the betting brand has been in a constant state of flux of late.

Ladbrokes announced in the summer of 2015 that the company was pursuing a merger with fellow betting brand Coral and the deal went through November 2016, with the Competition and Markets Authority giving approval to the move as long as hundreds of betting shops were sold.

The new Ladbrokes Coral company was then acquired by GVC Holdings just over a year later. The firm paid in the region of £4 billion for Ladbrokes Coral and GVC Holdings and then said it would be changing its name to Entain, but Ladbrokes remains a trusted brand regardless of the many different changes that have been made to its overall ownership structure over the years.

Ladbrokes is licensed and regulated in Great Britain by the Gambling Commission under account number 54743. However, the company has had issues with the regulator in the past. In July 2019, the Gambling Commission announced it was fining Ladbrokes almost £6 million as a result of the betting brand's multiple failings in anti-money laundering and social responsibility.

Since then, Ladbrokes has been cleaning up its act a lot, so how does its sportsbook look now?

Ladbrokes Sportsbook Review

Although Ladbrokes now offers everything from slots and live casino games to poker and bingo, most folk who sign up for an account will probably do so in order to bet on sports like football. In truth, the Ladbrokes sportsbook on the desktop site now looks a little tired. A fresh update could be needed in order to bring Ladbrokes up to the standard of leading modern UK betting sites.

However, while the design of the Ladbrokes sportsbook is not great, the site offers substance over style. Users get access to a huge range of sports to bet on, as well as lottery options too. Daily Millions draws are available to bet on at Ladbrokes, as well as the Irish Lottery as well.

Along with the usual major sports like football, tennis, golf and cricket, Ladbrokes customers are able to bet on the outcome of poker tournaments, as well as TV shows and top news events.

Minor sports such as chess, handball and pool are also available to bet on at Ladbrokes. The site has also offered esports, which a lot of betting experts think is the future of this industry. Among the top esports that are available to bet on at Ladbrokes include Dota 2 and CS:GO.

Football betting fans will be thrilled with the range of markets offered at the Ladbrokes sportsbook in the UK. Most big games have more than 200 bets to pick from and high-profile matches such as those in the Premier League often have some price boosts to increase the odds offered too.

Ladbrokes 5-A-Side is also something different to make this betting brand stand out from the crowd. Players who try their luck on the Ladbrokes 5-A-Side game can pick five players to earn as many points as possible and get the chance to claim rewards like cash, bets and vouchers. Another special promotion Ladbrokes users can make the most of is the Ladbrokes 1-2-Free game, which is free-to-play and offers players the chance to win £100 in cash. Predicting three correct scores lands players the top prize and they will get a £1 free bet for one correct score and a £5 Ladbrokes free bet if they are able to nail two correct scores from the three games.

Ladbrokes also has The Grid rewards program which is one of the best in the industry giving loyal punters a wide array of rewards including discounts on certain shops/online websites, free bets, and much more.

Ladbrokes prices are known for being very good and there are ways for customers to get even better odds when they are browsing this leading UK online sportsbook as well. Each day, users have the chance to boost the odds of a bet of their choice on this site, which is very welcome. Like many top UK betting sites, Ladbrokes also offers an acca insurance promotion these days and horse racing fans will enjoy the fact that the best odds guaranteed are in place on the site too.

A live streaming service is available on selected events at Ladbrokes as well. With live sports streaming being required by a lot of sports fans in the UK these days, this is a tick in the box. A live stream tab shows all of the events available to watch, which includes horse racing and top football action from all over the world, as well as tennis and basketball games from the NBA.

Virtual sports are part of the Ladbrokes sportsbook too. Horse racing and greyhounds options are available while virtual football, virtual basketball and virtual motorsport are up for grabs too. All of this means Ladbrokes has one of the best online sports betting sites in the UK right now.

As for the betting margins, Ladbrokes boasts a better than average of 5.38% in our independent tests. Of course, we only test a small sample to give you an idea of the margins, but they are better than most bookies in the UK.

Ladbrokes Casino Review

Most top sportsbooks in the UK these days also have an online casino site and Ladbrokes is no different. Joining Ladbrokes gives users access to a massive range of casino games to try out.

The Ladbrokes casino offers users a big welcome bonus to join up as a new player but this is just the start of the many different bonuses and promotions that are up for grabs at this site. Players can get free bets by playing blackjack at the live casino, while every Saturday night there is a Trivia Showdown where users answer questions for the chance to win up to £500. Daily drops are also available here too, while Ladbrokes users will be keen to visit the site during the happy hour period known as Mega Mode when up to 20 free spins are dished out.

Hundreds of slot games are offered at the Ladbrokes casino. While this is not quite the biggest selection in the world, it will be more than enough to keep most people entertained. New games are also added to the library on a regular basis, with fresh titles at the time of writing including the likes of King Kong Cashpots and Cat Clans. Themed games such as Christmas Big Bash Bonanza are available to play for those who sign up for an account at the Ladbrokes casino.

As with most top UK online casinos, Megaways and Jackpot King slots offer the biggest wins here. Players who want a shot at landing a big win are likely to opt for these games. There are also dozens of exclusive games to try out that are not available at other casinos. Among the exclusive casino games Ladbrokes has to offer include Blagg Brothers The Heist, Devil's Nightmare, Rainbow Rewards, Sparta Wilds, Well Well Well and Bound to be Lucky.

Navigation is not great on the Ladbrokes casino site on desktop, with some of the same issues as the sportsbook in terms of the rather clunky design. There is no search function for those who want to find a particular slot to play, while there is no option to narrow down the selection of titles in the library by game provider either, even though most top online casinos now offer this. Playtech titles are among those available, with games from a range of other leading studios too.

The Ladbrokes live casino makes up for this issue, though, as it is a very compelling option. At the Ladbrokes live casino, users can expect to find a huge choice of tables to join including a range of exclusives that are not available at any of the other online casinos in the UK right now. Live casino games here include all the old classics like roulette, blackjack and baccarat. Users can also opt to try their luck at live dealer games such as Fan Tan, Lightning Dice and Crazy Time, while Monopoly Live and Cash or Crash Live are sure to be favourites here as well.

One thing that is missing from the Ladbrokes casino in the UK is the lack of VIP rewards. Most UK casino players have got used to being offered the chance to earn rewards points for playing casino games, with these points able to be traded in for cash or a range of top prizes. However, with no VIP program in place at the Ladbrokes site as yet, some players may feel as if there are not enough reasons to return to this particular online casino to play games on a regular basis.

Ladbrokes Bingo Review

Bingo might not be the first thing people think of when they hear the name Ladbrokes, but the company has carved out a reputation as one of the country's most solid online bingo brands.

At Ladbrokes, bingo players can win thousands of pounds in the biggest cash rooms, but those who only have a modest budget for their favourite game can buy tickets for just a penny too.

Everything from standard variants such as 90-ball bingo and 75-ball bingo to the speedier 30-ball bingo is offered at the Ladbrokes bingo site in the UK. Top special features such as Everyone's a Winner, where all players earn a share of the prize pool, keep things entertaining.

Bingo Chat hosts are in place to ensure the friendly banter keeps on flowing. Users who join Ladbrokes bingo even have the chance to customise their own bingo lobby, with the opportunity to choose their ticket size as well as the dauber colour, the music, icons and plenty else to boot.

Ladbrokes bingo promotions include free bingo sessions being available every day in the site's Cinema Room, while up to £1,000 in cash can be won by playing free bingo at Ladbrokes.

Slots, jackpot games and Slingo titles can also be found in the bingo section at Ladbrokes too. While the platform used to run on the Playtech software, Ladbrokes bingo is now powered by Electraworks. Regardless of the change, Playtech games are still offered at Ladbrokes bingo.

Ladbrokes Poker Review

Poker players might often opt for a specialist site, but Ladbrokes has given them another choice with a site that was powered by Microgaming when it was launched all the way back in 2013.

Ladbrokes offers a new poker download client that players can get on their computers to play. Features of the Ladbrokes download client include automated weekly cashback, while there is also the chance to enjoy completely re-designed tables and a fresh lobby layout here as well.

Texas Hold’em is the default setting for online poker at Ladbrokes but alternatives such as Omaha and Stud are also offered as well. A range of tournaments and cash tables are offered so poker players who join Ladbrokes can look forward to a large amount of choices on the site.

Poker promotions that are up for grabs for UK players at Ladbrokes include the chance to enter a daily freeroll event that has a $1,200 pot available. Sit and go daily leaderboards are also available at the Ladbrokes poker site, encouraging all their users to make repeat visits to play.

There really is something for everyone at the Ladbrokes poker site - which now runs on iPoker software - ensuring it is a very strong option for anyone who wants to play the game as well as betting on the top match of the day and having access to live casino games and bingo too.

Ladbrokes Mobile Betting Options

Naturally, with a lot of people in the UK now preferring to bet via a mobile device, this has become an important area of focus for Ladbrokes over the course of the past few years.

Countless people have already downloaded the Ladbrokes mobile app onto their devices, with it available for iOS through the App Store and for Android users via the Play Store as well.

It is fair to note that the Ladbrokes app is not the fastest available to download in the UK right now. While this is not much of a problem for people who are browsing pre-match markets, anyone who is trying to bet live in-play might get frustrated by the loading times on this app.

Placing a bet should be straightforward but the process takes longer than necessary on the Ladbrokes app. With the point of downloading mobile betting apps onto devices like a smartphone or a tablet computer being the speed and ease, this is a major problem here.

Variety of markets is not a problem on the Ladbrokes app, though. Sportsbook users get access to all the same types of bets that they can find when they login to their account on a desktop PC. Live streaming of sports such as football and horse racing is available on the app as well.

Users on the App Store and Play Store have given the mobile app from Ladbrokes solid reviews. The iOS and Android mobile apps by Ladbrokes tend to be rated at about four stars out of five, which is decent but does not rank it among the best UK mobile betting apps right now.

Those who are unconvinced by the need to get the Ladbrokes app can opt for the mobile site. A simple layout presents the top events of the day and it is simple to toggle between the part of the site where the sportsbook can be found into the gaming area to try out slots as well.

Navigating around the Ladbrokes mobile site is achieved via two menus. One, at the top of the screen, offers users the chance to find promotions and sports betting markets for football and horse racing, as well as lottery betting, virtual sports and the live casino area too. The bottom menu can primarily be used by customers to access the my bets section, where they can check in quickly on the progress of any wagers that they have placed on sport via the mobile site.

One problem with both the Ladbrokes app and the Ladbrokes mobile site is the difficulty users might find in accessing customer service. Unlike other top mobile betting apps, it is not simple to find the live chat option and Ladbrokes prefers to direct its customers to its detailed FAQ instead. While some users will find the answer to their query here, it can be frustrating to have to search through byzantine menus for customer service rather than it being easy to locate.

While Ladbrokes is widely regarded as one of the most trusted betting brands in the UK, it is fair to say that the company still has a lot of work to do in order to bring its mobile betting options up to scratch. The Ladbrokes mobile app is hard to recommend due to slow loading times with most people likely to find that the Ladbrokes mobile site offers a much better betting experience.

Ladbrokes Customer Support

Ladbrokes has a top-tier 24/7 customer support service with several different methods of contact including live chat, phone number, email, and social media support.

• Live chat
• Phone number - 0800 731 6191 (not available during lockdown)
• Email - care@ladbrokes.com