18+ New UK+IRE customers. Paypal and certain deposit types and bet types excluded. Min £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 = 4 x £5 free bets. Free bets valid for 7 days on sports, stake not returned, restrictions apply. T&Cs apply,
Founded in 1886, Ladbrokes is one of the oldest sports books in the UK and London. With over 100 years of experience and one of the world’s biggest betting companies, Ladbrokes knows how to deliver a top-rated UK sports betting experience.
Ladbrokes sports betting online started in 2000, also making it one of the oldest online bookies. In addition to sports betting, the company also offers other gambling entertainment, including casino, slots, live casino, bingo, poker, lottos and virtual.
Beyond being Britain’s biggest bookmaker, after it acquired Gala Coral Group in 2015, Ladbrokes offers single account functionality for all its online, mobile and retail products in the United Kingdom and offers over 24,000 online betting options, over 26 sports markets and an odds level up to 97.63%.
This, coupled by a variety of ongoing promotions as well as a great welcome offer, suggests that Ladbrokes certainly knows a thing or two about how to provide its punters with a diverse and dynamic betting experience offline, online and via mobile.
That said, we weren’t just going to take other punters’ words for it. We’ve put this bookie’s online sports offering to the test and have created this honest Ladbrokes review to help you decide if this is the bookie for you.
The Ladbrokes new customer offer gets you £20 in Free Bets when you sign up and place a £5 on sports. We found this new member bonus very easy to claim and were able to get our free bets in a matter of minutes.
That being said, as is the case with any gambling promotion, it’s important that you know the Ladbrokes free bet terms for UK customers. Some of the more notable stipulations linked to this joining offer include:
Due to how fast and simple it is to claim this new offer and that it gives you £20 in free bets with as little as a £5 bet, it’s a great way to start out your experience at Ladbrokes without having to deposit much to get a good taste.
Beyond the Ladbrokes sign up offer, the bookie is well known for offering a variety of ongoing promotions, including those specific to sports and racing. You’ll find that there are multiple ways to enhance your Ladbrokes sports betting experience if you’re the type of punter who prefers benefiting from all the extras. Here is a selection of the current promotions for existing customers:
Another promotion we liked was Odds Boost. This is a daily free odds boost on the sport of your choice. By using this offer, you increase the odds of your online, mobile or telephone bets by adding selections to your betslip and getting a boost. A minimum of one Odds Boost token will be applied to each account daily and only the first £50 of stakes are struck at the boosted price. You do not need a bonus code to take part (terms and conditions apply).
If you want to make the most of Ladbrokes horse racing, you’ll want to make sure you take advantage of the Best Odds Guaranteed on all UK and Irish horse races. You don’t need a promo code to benefit from this offer, which is available daily. Simply take the price (e.g. board prices, early prices, singles, multiples) and if the SP returns greater, Ladbrokes will pay you out at the bigger price (terms and conditions apply).
If you’re a greyhounds racing punter, this is a fantastic offer you won’t want to miss! Greyhounds BOG is available to new and existing customers on all UK and Irish greyhound races. Take the price – this includes early prices, board prices, singles and multiples – and if the SP returns greater, Ladbrokes will payout at the bigger price (terms and conditions apply).
Ladbrokes offer place terms in line with industry standards. The number of payout places depends on the number of runners and type of race. Each way bets are settled at one half, quarter and fifth for two, three or four horses. Some bookmakers offer extra places on high profile Saturday races but Ladbrokes offer extra places on a daily basis. For example in a race for which the place terms are one fifth the odds for the first three Ladbrokes offer an extra place at the same odds proportion. However, standard terms apply if there are non-runners which result in 11 or fewer horse taking part in the race. Generally, there are two extra place races each day.
At any time, Ladbrokes welcomes you to Tweet #GetAPrice to request a price on any match. It doesn’t matter if it’s the Premier League, La Liga, Champions League, or Serie A, you can inquire into a host of popular In-Play and pre-match markets, including (but not limited to) Match Results, Shots On Goal, Tackles, Total Match Corners, etc. Plus, if you fancy a bet on markets other than football, you’ll also find #GetAPrice applies to Cricket, Darts, NFL, and Snooker markets (terms and conditions apply).
No matter which Ladbrokes sports market it is that you favour, the Ladbrokes Grid is the reward system in which punters can win prizes including restaurant and cinema vouchers, holidays, gadgets and tickets to sporting events. Meanwhile, those with a Grid Card can also use it to play machines in Ladbrokes high street stores, as well as checking the status of accumulator bets and deposit and withdraw funds. Ladbrokes customers must apply for their Grid Card, which can then be linked to online accounts.
Those looking to start the application process must follow these simple steps:
1-2-Free – Correctly predict the scores of three selected football matches on either the Ladbrokes Sports Betting app or Ladbrokes Mobile Web, with up to £100 in cash being up for grabs through this generous free to play promotion.
Ladbrokes’ biggest markets are arguably football and horse racing. That said, the bookie covers a large variety of sports that include both traditional and niche sports. There’s great North American sports coverage as well as greyhounds, darts, cricket, golf, rugby, tennis, volleyball, MMA, eSports, politics, award options, and beyond.
Aside from the markets, there are thousands of betting options available. Even the more niche markets give you plenty of betting choice. For instance, when we tested Ladbrokes, a match from the Australian A-League had over 170 bets available.
On the whole, we feel that Ladbrokes’ diverse range of markets and betting options offers something for everyone, whether you’re a casual punter looking to bet on your favourite football team or a more avid punter seeking a more diverse experience. Here is more information about the three of the most popular betting sports with Ladbrokes: football, horse racing and tennis.
Football is by far the most popular online betting sport in the world and that status is reflected in its position on the main Ladbrokes sports menu. In fact it appears first in this menu under two headings: football and football coupons. In clicking on the football option customers are taken to a specific page on which Ladbrokes football betting appears under the headings of Today’s Football, Tomorrow’s Football and Future Football.
Customers with Ladbrokes can bet on a wide range of countries, leagues, matches and markets. There is a comprehensive pre-match and in-play service for the sport. Ladbrokes offers football betting odds on the main domestic leagues in Europe and many other leagues from different parts of the world.
The most popular betting league in the world is the English Premier League and fixtures are viewed in huge numbers around the world. Ladbrokes shows the three way match odds for each fixture in the Premier League and there is a link to the related markets which total up to 175. These additional markets are displayed under the headings of:
Ladbrokes three way football markets have a built in profit margin of 5% which is average and standard for the UK brands. Customers can bet on the outright winners of leagues and Cups and odds are updated after each round of matches. There are also special bets related to managers and scorers.
Ladbrokes have betting offices in many towns and cities in the UK and the core betting sport is horse racing. Despite the growth of virtual racing, numbers games and Fixed odds Betting Terminals most bets are still taken on horse racing. Ladbrokes online customers expect a good racing product and the operator delivers in this respect. Horse racing appears on the main sports menu independent of the A-Z list of sports and only after football and football coupons.
Clicking this option takes customers to the Ladbrokes horse racing page on which the next races and race cards are displayed. Ladbrokes offers odds for race meetings in Britain and Ireland, France, the United States, Australia and India. For each race bettors can take the current odds for a selection or the Starting Price. Ladbrokes offers Best Odds Guaranteed for all meetings in Britain and Ireland. Customers can bet in ante post markets for major upcoming races and in some cases they offer non-runner/no bet.
There has been a massive growth in tennis betting over the last 15 years. It is one sport in which more bets are placed in-play than before the match starts. The sport lends itself to live betting because of the fluctuations in the score and the odds for a match winner. Ladbrokes offers odds on the main tours and some of the more obscure. Outright betting is available for the upcoming Grand Slam tournaments and major team tournaments. Tennis betting is organised under the headings of Today’s Tennis, Tomorrow’s Tennis and Future Tennis.
The two way match winner market is displayed with a link to related markets which total up to 36. These tennis markets are displayed under the following headings:
Match markets have a built in margin of 5% which is about average for the industry. Ladbrokes offers a comprehensive tennis betting product with a range of matches and markets covered for many tournaments from the ATP and WTA Tours and other tours further down the pyramid. Tennis betting is available for men’s and women’s singles and doubles matches.
The potential rewards of picking the winner of the Masters or US Open has meant that betting on golf has become hugely popular over recent years, with the increase in Ladbrokes golf markets certainly demonstrating this. Punters are able to place bets on markets including outright tournament winner, top 10 finish and even the country in which the winning player will come from, options which are also available when it comes to Ladbrokes live betting. While golf is not a sport that is available to stream live at Ladbrokes, the odds offered by the bookmaker certainly make it appealing to customers, with the likes of Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and Ko Jin-young regularly being backed.
Due to the ever-changing political landscape in countries across the globe, it perhaps comes as little surprise that punters are now demanding the opportunity to bet on events such as presidential elections and referendums. Brexit odds at Ladbrokes were among the most competitive around, while the US Presidential and senate elections are expected to attract significant interest too. Ladbrokes also has a complete section dedicated to Donald Trump, with their customers being able to bet on when he will be replaced as president and the possibility of him being removed from office due to impeachment. Other Politics betting bookies >>
If you prefer a mobile sports betting experience, Ladbrokes is happy to accommodate you, regardless of whether you want to access its sports offering via the Ladbrokes mobile site or conveniently through the Ladbrokes mobile app, which is available for both iOS and Android.
We tried out both the mobile-compatible website and the Ladbrokes app for iPhone. We have to say that while the web version offered an experience similar to its online counterpart – clean, easy-to-navigate, well laid out – overall, the Ladbrokes sports betting app experience was superior.
Via the app, we were granted fast and easy access to the extensive sports book and were impressed with how simple it was to navigate the Ladbrokes sportsbook app. The user-friendly app makes it a snap to gain quick access to features like the #GetAPrice feature, the in-play section, live streams and a variety of other options.
As for the Ladbrokes app for UK users, you can get it on Google Play. There is also a dedicated Ladbrokes Exchange app and a dedicated Windows Phone app as well.
It doesn’t matter if you’re using the Ladbrokes bet app or are enjoying the traditional online experience, Ladbrokes invites UK punters to enjoy its many different features across its multiple platforms.
Right off the top, one of the first things we noticed was that this bookie has a stellar in-play service. During our time spent at Ladbrokes for the purpose of this review, there were plenty of in-play services offered for football, tennis, volleyball, rugby, cricket, basketball, golf, and even eSports. More sports than these are covered as well, what’s available simply depends on what’s going on at the time.
For some events there is more in-play betting than pre-match betting. Bookmakers like Ladbrokes advertise during commercial breaks but there are now restrictions on when these adverts can appear and a 9pm watershed is in place. Ladbrokes offer event specific odds boosts and super price value for selected events, which are usually for football. The matches selected are often live on television and certainly offered as an in-play betting event.
The odds surrounding Ladbrokes’ in-play betting markets are updated on a regular basis, based on what is taking place on the pitch, court, course or track, with those who know what they are doing being able to take advantage of some hugely rewarding prices. Events from the world of football, tennis and basketball feature heavily on a daily basis, with the number of live betting markets in which Ladbrokes offer increasing at a rapid rate. Punters can bet on a team to score a late winner in a Premier League football match, which player will win a deciding fifth set at Wimbledon or whether the New York Knicks will outscore their NBA opponent in the fourth quarter. However, it is worth noting that not all of the pre-match markets that were available will then be available when it comes to in-play betting, while betting limits may also differ.
You also have access to live streams, including on the Ladbrokes online betting app. Clicking on live streaming will provide you with all the current live action events and you can easily filter through your options and see how many live in play markets there are on any event. Many in-play events can be viewed as a live stream. Betting turnover increases for an event when bettors can see live pictures. Once you have logged on and placed a bet there is a huge range of live streamed events available for viewing. Ladbrokes live streaming service compliments the in-play service for several sports.
There is a Ladbrokes cash out feature, which gets a thumbs up from us. As you might know, this particular feature, when available, allows you to get a return on your bet before the end of a match, giving you the control to consolidate your bets and even lower your risk. Cash out is available for a variety of sports markets, including football, snooker, cricket, live markets and even accumulators.
The number of Ladbrokes sports and in-play events for which cash out is available is increasing all the time. Bets can be cashed out before expiry to guarantee a profit or minimise a loss. Cashing out a bet with Ladbrokes is akin to laying a selection after backing it before the match began. Ladbrokes calculates the guaranteed return based on the odds when the bet was placed, the current odds and the stake. The return depends on how the odds have moved after a significant event such as a goal. Odds can move against the bettor when the opposite of a prediction takes place.
At present, only a full cash out option is available to punters, unlike some other betting sites, which offer the opportunity to partially cash out active bets. For those wondering why the cash out feature is not available to them at a particular time, it will be because the bet contains markets that are ineligible, one or more of the markets involved has been suspended, the cash out value would have been equal to £0 or the number of picks on an accumulator bet totals more than 14. The Ladbrokes cash out feature is simple to use, with the following steps having to be taken by punters:
One of the new developments in online betting is personalised bets. Customers can choose from a variety of events in a football match in an accumulator bet. The options cannot be combined in regular betting and Ladbrokes gives a price on request. Some of the events are related which means Ladbrokes will not offer the full combined odds but make an adjustment to take into account the related contingencies of bets created by #GetaPrice. Ladbrokes is a big supporter of football, and you’ll not only find a variety of football-related promotions, but also handy features like #GetAPrice.
This lets you ask Ladbrokes to price up a wager that you crated. You can choose from a variety of selections (e.g. a player making assists, match outcome, goalscorer, etc.), making your bets unique and fun.
Finally, Ladbrokes has a Betting Exchange service. This is a peer-to-peer betting format that offers a new range of markets and odds. The reason is that with the exchange service, you’re betting against other punters. It’s certainly worth looking into if you’re seeking something different from the average sports betting experience. The market leaders in exchange betting are Betfair. The key to an efficient betting exchange is liquidity in a market.
The more money there is in a market the better the chance of getting bets matched or partially matched. The Ladbrokes betting exchange is fine for liquidity for the main markets but some of the lesser markets lack money being traded and this makes for fewer backers and layers and the exchange model can fail. Ladbrokes attract enough money to their exchange to allow it to function and most markets have enough liquidity for trading by backers and layers.
While the Premier League title for 2019/20 already looks to have been wrapped up, there are still plenty of bets to be placed on the English top-flight, with the season ending in May. Ladbrokes regularly offer promotions surrounding the Premier League, whether it be their enhanced odds, best acca or 1-2-Free offers. Ladbrokes odds surrounding the Premier League are also regularly among the best around, with punter being able to bet on the winner of individual matches, which teams will be relegated, who will finish inside the top 4 and even which player will finish as top goalscorer.
The Grand National will take place on Saturday 4th April, with the race at Aintree being widely regarded as one of the biggest meetings of the year. Having first been ran in 1839, the race takes place over a distance of over 4 miles, with Tiger Roll having won having now come out on top two years in a row. The Grand National is perhaps the biggest day of the year for bookmakers, with Ladbrokes offering best odds guaranteed on the event. Ante-post odds are already available, with prices fluctuating based on the form of potential runners and riders.
The Cheltenham Festival is a four-day horse racing event that attracts global interest, with punters betting on races such as the Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle and Queen Mother Champion Chase. Ladbrokes are likely to offer a series of promotions surrounding the festival, which could potentially include non-runner no bet, faller insurance and best odds guaranteed offers. The 2020 Cheltenham Festival takes place from Tuesday 10th to Friday 13th March, with Ladbrokes already having delivered odds on the potential runners and riders.
After England reached the 2018 World Cup semi-finals, Euro 2020 is set to be bigger than ever for the Three Lions, as well as the other footballing heavyweights around Europe. The tournament will take place across 12 cities for the first time in history, with the first match being held at the Stadio Olimpico on the 12th June, before Wembley Stadium stages the final one month later. Ladbrokes will offer punters the chance to bet on each and every match during the competition, as well as who will win Euro 2020 outright.
The 2020 Olympic Games will take place in Tokyo this summer, with athletes from around the world coming together for two weeks in July and August in the hope of getting their hands on a medal. Whether it be betting on the 100m final, triple jump or the new addition of skateboarding, Ladbrokes are a bookmaker that always take the Olympics seriously, providing a large number of both ante-post and in-play markets. Meanwhile, Ladbrokes are also likely to introduce some Olympic-specific promotions, helping punters to maximise their winnings and minimise losses.
The procedure to open an account with Ladbrokes and then make an initial deposit and begin betting is quick and easy. Ladbrokes advertise extensively in the racing Press and on television so may attract potential new customers who wish to open an account on impulse. It may be that they are attracted by a specific betting offer so it is important there is a seamless operation to open an account, fund the account with cash and place the bet. These three basic procedures meet the requirement for a quick and easy journey from considering Ladbrokes through to placing a bet.
Potential new customers must visit the Ladbrokes Home Page to register a betting account. Existing customers login to their account by entering a unique combination of a Password and Username which is specified as part of the account opening procedure.
New customers click on the JOIN NOW button which takes the user to the registration screens. There are three elements to the registration process and at each stake some fields must be populated. New customers must enter personal, contact and account information including a username and password. Once these details have been recorded new customers click OPEN ACCOUNT.
When a customer logs in the current account balance is displayed. If this is £0.00 betting is not allowed and can only begin once the account has been funded. In order to make a deposit customers click the DEPOSIT button on the Ladbrokes Home Page. At the time of betting the recently used deposit method is displayed. The minimum deposit is by default £5 and the maximum deposit is £1,000. Once the amount has been entered customers click DEPOSIT. Funds are transferred immediately and most banking methods are free of charge. Once the funds have been cleared the new balance is displayed and betting can begin. The account balance will also be updated in line with the new customer offer.
If a bank card is involved in the deposit the card must be authenticated which takes a few seconds. Betting begins by navigating to a sport, event, market and selection. Once an option has been selected the Betslip appears. As more selections are added the betting options are displayed.
For example if two selections appear on the slip customers are prompted to choose singles or a double. Multiple, combination and system bets are accepted. When the stake is entered the Betslip shows the total potential returns. Customers then click PLACE BET and there is a message to indicate that the bet has been placed successfully. The account balance is updated to reflect the amount staked.
Ladbrokes payment methods cover a wide range of banking solutions for both deposit and withdrawal options. Debit cards, eWallets, prepaid cards and bank transfers are among your choices. More specifically, you can make a Ladbrokes deposit with Skrill, PayPal, Apple Pay, Paysafecard, Neteller, etc. The minimum deposit amount is between £5 and £10 and most deposits occur instantly.
As for withdrawals, with the exception of a few payment methods, such as Paysafecard and a few bank transfer options, most of the methods you can use to make deposits can also be used for making withdrawals. Ladbrokes withdrawal times vary from one payment method to the next, and can take as little as 6 hours to several business days. In regard to Ladbrokes maximum payout, this can depend on a player’s status and varies among payment methods. If knowing the maximum payout is important to you, we recommend getting in touch with customer support.
Ladbrokes customer support is available 24/7 in some shape or form. There are multiple ways for you to get in touch with the team at Ladbrokes. You can send them a private message on Twitter, get in touch via the Ladbrokes live chat function, email them or telephone. There is also an extensive FAQ that provides you with lots of answers to commonly asked questions.
We personally used the Twitter, live chat, email and FAQ options. In our experience, they were quick to respond (live chat and twitter being the fastest), were friendly and seemed knowledgeable. As for the FAQ, our curiosities regarding how to use a free bet token were adequately satisfied with not only a thorough written explanation but also screencaps, which helped to perfectly illustrate the instructions.
Ladbrokes is operated by Ladbrokes International PLC, while they are licensed by the British Gambling Commission, one of the most respected authorities in the industry today. As well as this, they also hold a valid license from the Government of Gibraltar, allowing them to operate in various other regions across the globe. This means that punters can rest assured that they have already passed a number of tests when it comes to reliability and trustworthiness, with the bookmaker also having a variety of security measures in place, including 128-bit SSL encryption technology. Meanwhile, in order to help promote responsible gambling, Ladbrokes are associated with organisations including Gambleaware, GamCare and Gambling Therapy.
History has it that Ladbrokes was first established way back in 1886 by Messrs, Schwind and Pennington as commission agents for horses trained at Ladbroke Hall in Warwickshire. The company became known as Ladbrokes in 1902 when Arthur Bendir joined the partnership and the company moved to London.
Throughout the 20th century, Ladbrokes had its fair share of ups and downs from entertaining the British aristocracy to suffering steady decline following World War II. In the year 2000, Ladbrokes entered the online gambling realm and in 2015 acquired Gala Coral Group. The acquisition resulted in Ladbrokes becoming Ladbrokes Coral and Britain’s largest bookmaker, with more than 4,000 betting shops and 30,000 employees.
Ladbrokes has also been a sponsor of football teams and currently Ladbrokes Coral is a principle sponsor for the top four divisions of Scottish football, in the Scottish Professional Football League.
In 2017, Ladbrokes was purchased by GVC Holdings.
After fully analyzing the Ladbrokes sports betting offering, we’ve come to the conclusion that this bookie is worthy of the praise it has received as being one of the UK’s top bookmakers. Not only is Ladbrokes a famous, old and trusted brand, it offers plenty of brilliant features from in-play betting and live streaming to a betting exchange.
Its top quality online and mobile betting experience covers a vast array of markets and betting options and there are a wealth of promotions, giving you the option of making your experience as entertaining, thrilling or diverse as you want.
While it is surprising that Ladbrokes is lacking in the major league sports sponsorship department, which is odd for such a recognisable brand, it delivers a solid betting service to UK punters – new or experienced.
What did you think of our Ladbrokes review? Does Ladbrokes sound like the right bookie for you? If so, be sure to claim your free bets when you sign up!