About Ladbrokes

It could be fair to say that Ladbrokes bookmaker is one of the oldest ones in the industry, having been established all the way back in the 19^th Century. Because of its early dating, it’s fair to say that this is a leading name in everything to do with betting on sports. Since its inception, the growth has been phenomenal. From the start-up, they now run well over 27,000 betting shops worldwide as well as the online branch and employ upwards of 14,000 staff.

The company was opened up in 1886, by 2 men – Mr Pennington and Mr Schwind. In 1902, they decided to move their business to London and rebrand it as Ladbrokes. Following this, there were highs and lows and eventually, in 1961, when the UK government finally authorised gambling, they were the first to open up a legitimate betting shop. It has since continued to grow.

In 2015, Ladbrokes merged with the Gala Coral Group, and this has made the Ladbrokes / Coral group the largest British bookmaker, with at least 4,000+ betting shops in the UK and Ireland alone. However, this is an international business now and it operates in many countries across the globe. In this Ladbrokes review, we’ll be looking at why and how this online bookmaker has managed to last through the ages and why it is one of the leading names in online sports betting. Ladbrokes betting has never been so popular.

Market Offering

As you can well imagine from the very fact that this is one of the biggest, best and most well-established online bookmakers in the industry today, the offering of sports and markets is highly impressive. There are thousands of markets and bet options to choose from. Instead of just having to pick from the standard betting options, you can choose to wager your money on almost everything. The sports on offer are:

Not only does it offer these sports, but you can also place bets on movies: such as the next James Bond or Oscar winners. There is also a music category, where you can place bets on award ceremonies, such as the Mercury Music Prize. There are political markets, including Welsh First Minister, next Cabinet Minister to leave and 2020 Mayoral elections. As well as this there are Royal specials, where you can bet on Kate and Wills new baby. There are also TV bets including the Eurovision Song Contest, The Voice or BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

As you can imagine, like most UK based bookmakers, its primary focus is aimed at the football and horse racing market; however, not too far behind this comes cricket and rugby league. The horse racing coverage is very thorough and well-equipped, and the football markets cover all the lower leagues as well as the major leagues, divisions and tournaments.

What’s more, Ladbrokes has set up its own betting exchange, which is pretty straightforward to use. This is in an exchange format, where anyone can create odds for a match and post the bet, with the hope that someone will accept it. The site takes commission and the bet pays out.

In-Play Betting

The in-play betting in very full. There’s a very decent amount of sports on offer every day. Having said that, more events would be an added bonus. You can, however, always place a live bet on areas such as football and tennis.

Ladbrokes also offers live streaming on all the major tournaments and events; this means that you can access the games you have bet on via your Ladbrokes account – so you don’t have to download any illegal sites or streaming. Ladbrokes bet in-play is definitely one of the best on the market.

Odds

In all fairness, this is a sportsbook that focuses its best odds and prices on its best sports, football and horse racing. Other sports which are starting to emerge as Ladbrokes favourites are American football and baseball. Currently, the profit margins on both of these are under 4%, which is pretty decent.

However, when it comes to certain other sports, Ladbrokes odds and prices aren’t as impressive. An example of this is basketball, which has over 10% for its margin, alongside tennis and hockey which come in at just over 7%. All in all, for odds it really does focus on its main markets, and if you are looking outside of these, you may find a better deal elsewhere.

Bonuses & Offers

T&Cs Apply

Welcome Bonus

Currently, the welcome bonus on offer is up to £20 in free bets. In order to take advantage of this offer you simply need to register as a new player. You are then done with your first Ladbrokes login. Then, make a deposit of at least £5 and the free matched bet is yours. The bonus isn’t available if you make your first deposit using Paysafe, PayPal, Neteller or Skrill. Also, to claim your matched bet, you must make your qualifying bet within 14 days of registration. This matched bet must then be used within 4 days of receipt. Welcome bonuses come in all shapes and sizes – and this is a great one!

There are many other terms and conditions attached, so please be sure to check them through and read them thoroughly before you make your bet.

Occasionally there are other new player welcome offers, such as special odds on major football games. These offers are always great, so keep an eye out for those special betting promotions and other lifetime bonuses.

#Get a Price

If you tweet your match and player stat combo to @Ladbrokes then they’ll help you get a price with Ladbrokes #GetaPrice. Or, you could already pick one that’s available. These bets can’t be combined with any other bets, however.

Odds Boost

There are always a host of Odds Boost offers from Ladbrokes. You can choose from a free odds boost on each of half of the selected live TV games; free odds boosts on the sport of your choice or free odds boosts for certain major events or tournaments. These all come with terms and conditions such as up to £200 bet at boosted odds, single bets only, and specific or selected games or races only. Check out the specific terms attached to your preferred odds boost.

Virtual Sports Offer

Ladbrokes is encouraging you to try out the virtual sports by offering to match your first virtual sports bet up to £10. The minimum bet is £1 and the minimum odds are 2.0. This excludes forecasts, Tricasts and on-demand Virtual Sports.

Best Odds Guaranteed

Ladbrokes offers the best odds guaranteed on both horse racing and greyhounds. This means that when you place your bet on a horse or greyhound if the odds improve during the race, you will be paid out at the best odds. Again, there are terms attached, such as a cap of £50,000 and only pre-match betting counts. There are more, so make sure you read the small print carefully. Ladbrokes also offer the best Acca deal, so you can make the most of your accas and odds!

Security and Regulations

As you can imagine, with an online bookmaker that has been around for as long Ladbrokes has, that this is a very safe, secure and highly regulated site. The Ladbrokes/Coral Group is one of the biggest in the world and is licensed by the Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner; this means that it is regulated in many countries across the world. It is also, most importantly, regulated by the UK Gambling Commission, which means that it is licensed for the UK, and anyone playing within the UK is completely protected by one of the strictest and toughest regulatory bodies in the industry.

Because of these licenses, it must ensure that all of its betting operating systems are fair and transparent. The best interests of the gambler must be looked after at all times. Furthermore, it is linked to Essa, promoting fairness in sports gambling, as well as GamCare and Responsible Gambling so that should you feel that your gambling is getting out of your control, there are professional bodies on hand to help.

Furthermore, for the safety and security of your data, it has a top security system. It has a top cybersecurity system, which is focussed around the government’s respected 10 steps to Cyber Security.  Through this, Ladbrokes trains its staff in data security; it also develops its IT systems and monitoring systems. Furthermore, it has incorporated its own special compliance department that is in place to deal with fraud and corruption. Furthermore, it has supplied an Integrity Line where anyone can report their concerns about shady corporate activities, non-compliance and the possibility of criminal activities. All in all, this is a site that takes its security to the next level.

Banking Options

As you would expect from Ladbrokes, the number of banking options available is very impressive. Depositing is quick and easy, simply choose your payment method, choose your amount, enter your details and you could be making your bets in moments. It also has a minimum deposit of £5, which is lower than your average online sportsbook. The methods you can currently use are:

Currently, the site allows you to pay in GBP, EUR, AUD, CAD, HKD, JPY, NZD and NOK.

There are no withdrawal fees attached, so you can get to your money without being charged; this is always a good thing. Also, in terms of speed, the banking at Ladbrokes is impressively quick. If you withdraw via eWallet, then you can expect to see your withdrawal in just a matter of hours. Card and bank methods generally take about 3 days, but this depends on your bank. Furthermore, if you wish, you can go into any betting shop and make an instant withdrawal of up to £5,000, which is a service many online bookmakers can’t offer.

Customer Service

One of the great aspects of Ladbrokes is its customer support service. This is amazing. The website is available in a variety of languages including English, French, German and Swedish. As well as this, the Customer Support department is fluent in around 20 languages, so it’s great for everyone. On top of this, as any good customer support should be, it is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year. Whenever you have an issue, you can get straight onto them.

You can contact the Customer Support on live chat, free phone on 0800 731 6191 as well as email on [email protected]. As well as this, you can get in touch with them via the Twitter account. In general, the agents are all very helpful and knowledgeable. Whatever method you choose to contact them, you can be sure that your query will be dealt with efficiently and professionally.

User Experience

The interface of the website screams out Ladbrokes, with its bright red branding. It definitely isn’t all bells and whistles. There’s no amazing images or eye-catching graphics, but it is true to its brand and is instantly recognisable. The website allows you to access the odds in fractions (UK preferred) as well as decimal odds for the Europeans and moneyline odds – the American way. With different languages available it is definitely functional and very usable for everyone.

At first glance, the amount on offer on the homepage can look a tad overwhelming; all of the offers and promotions seem to be thrown into the mix, which can make it look a little bit busy. However, it makes it easy to find whatever you need, with its menu across the top. You can check out In-Play simply by hitting the top left tab; then there’s football, football coupons, horse racing, greyhounds, tennis, cricket, golf and promotions. Then, there’s a drop-down menu to the right of the screen allowing you to access all the different sports and betting options available. Your bet-slip and bets can be found in the top right-hand corner of the home page.

As well as this, the help is accessible, at the top of the screen alongside the ‘Contact’ and settings area. At the very bottom, you’ll be able to find all the details about the site – disclaimers, privacy policy, about us etc. As well as this there are links to the different responsible gambling website links.

All in all, this site may look crowded and busy, but everything is organised with it. One way it could be improved, however, is with the addition of a search function. However, it’s a very usable website.

Mobile Experience

The Ladbrokes mobile betting app is one of the best around. It has a fantastic design and excellent choice of sports and markets. The app is easy to install when you visit the Apple app store and download it. However, if you aren’t an iPhone user, you simply visit the website and use the QR code for Android, Windows and Blackberry users, visit the website and use the QR code. You then follow the instructions on downloading it and then you’re all set to go. Simple.

When on the mobile app, you have a vast amount of sports on which to bet on, including the favourites: football, racing, cricket, rugby, tennis, golf and more. All the sports and markets are quick and easy to find; you can simply log in and wager your money on your existing desktop account.

All in all, the download is easy, the sports, markets and live in-play betting are impressive; the speed, look and functionality of the mobile app are faultless. The Ladbrokes mobile sportsbook is really very impressive.