Ladbrokes, known affectionately as The Magic Sign, has been a firm fixture on Britain’s high streets for decades.
In the online betting era, too, they stand as one of the benchmarks of the industry with a vast range of well-established sports betting markets, promos, and extra features.
As is always the case, we found Ladbrokes to be much stronger in some specific areas than in others. Customer service would have been given top marks had it been available 24/7, while despite all the clever technical features, not handing out the best prices on major markets means simply getting the simplest of things wrong.
There are, of course, some major plus-points too; here’s how we rated each section:
A strong overall score. Bonuses could be bigger, while the betting markets are extensive but simply don’t offer the best value for regular punters.
Just about all online casinos and sportsbooks have their upsides and downsides, Ladbrokes being no different in that regard. They are strong overall though, there’s no doubt about that, with these points being the main positives and negatives we found about The Magic Sign:
Founded
1902
Location
London (headquartered)
Regulation/licence
UK Gambling Commission
Total number of games
Unless you’re being incredibly picky as a punter, your overall view of Ladbrokes’ services is bound to be positive.
Ladbrokes’ strength really comes from its range. Just about all of the modern features you’d expect are available; in-play, streaming, apps, cash-out, etc., with only two things bringing down their score.
Customer service, while excellent when operative, is not 24 hours a day despite markets being offered round the clock, and the very wisest of football and horse racing punters will notice that many market-leading contenders are often under-priced with Ladbrokes versus their main competitors.
The site and apps, however, are technically brilliant and offer an enjoyable experience.
One of the major pulls Ladbrokes has is its name and reputation. With that in mind, they probably don’t feel that they need to offer a hugely strong new customer bonus.
For their welcome bonus, Ladbrokes have concentrated on marketing a generous percentage offer rather than one that actually gives you a high cash amount. In other words, while some brands will offer a 100% bonus up to £100, Ladbrokes are offering 4 x the amount you deposit, but in fact, it is not a high-value deal:
New Customer Offer – bet £5 and get £20 in free bets. This is OK for small players, but £20 is not a great deal, and it’s the maximum you can get regardless of how much you deposit. The £20 will also come in the form of four different £5 bets, all given immediately and all to be used within seven days.
We could expect a bigger cash bonus from Ladbrokes, in all honesty, as well as more genuine bonuses (rather than promos) for existing customers as well as new ones.
A different bonus may be in operation when there is a stronger time for new membership, such as before and during the Cheltenham Festival or Royal Ascot, the World Cup, or another major sporting event, so always keep an eye out for that.
Ladbrokes’ bonuses and promotions aren’t quite as strong as we’d like, but to be fair, they are pretty much in line with most of the big boys on the market, so we won’t be too negative.
Promotions can and do change depending on the landscape, but a typical offering for existing customers would be:
win £100 cash for free. Players are charged with predicting three correct football scores in order to win £100 cash – no fee for entering.
available to sports bettors, players can spin the wheel every day for a chance to win a host of different prizes.
players can boost the odds of their selections on numerous sports, every day. Odds boosts are highlighted on specific events, punters needing only to confirm they want the boost to increase their odds.
players can boost their multiple bets by accepting a price boost, but will also gain insurance as the first Acca of the day is protected – if it loses, a free bet of up to £10 is given.
horse racing and greyhound punters can use BOG to ensure the best price for their horse. Take the price when selecting a horse, and if it wins at a bigger SP, you are paid at the bigger odds.
Other targeted offers are given out to casino players, and these sports betting promotions can be changed completely or simply massaged slightly to suit whatever is going on in the sporting world from time to time.
Ladbrokes advertises a good number of ongoing promotions, however many of them repeat, so the choice of unique offers isn’t the strongest we’ve seen, but will be enough to boost your sports betting a little.
Ladbrokes accepts a strong range of payment methods, with many being instant and free to use. One of the major benefits of the brand is that, as well as deposits being instant; most withdrawals are dealt with inside of a day.
All major debit cards can be used and are the most popular form of funding accounts, while four eWallets are also supported; Neteller, Skrill, PayPal, and Click and Buy.
You can deposit from as little as £5 via debit card, though all other payment methods require a minimum £10 deposit which is still pretty standard for the industry.
Up to £99,999 can be deposited via debit cards, between £5,500 and £37,500 from eWallets, and up to £10,000 can be cashed in via cheque, though of course there is a big potential delay on the latter of 5-28 days.
As of yet, there are only the usual, customer-specific niggles with payments and delays from Ladbrokes, with the vast majority of payments handled automatically and instantly without worry.
This is where Ladbrokes excels, especially in terms of quantity. Individual odds here aren’t the greatest, as we’ve pointed out, but there is so much choice that if you’re using your boosts and promos correctly, you can still score heavily with Ladbrokes’ sports betting markets.
Within their large range of markets, you’ll find:
American football, athletics, Aussie rules football, badminton, baseball, basketball, bowls, boxing, cricket, cycling, darts, football, Formula 1, golf, greyhounds, hockey, horse racing, rugby league, rugby union, snooker, tennis, virtual sports and much more besides.
Ladbrokes were traditionally, and still are, an on-course bookmaker with separate high street offices that concentrate heavily on horse racing, so you’ll find a significant concentration of markets in that section.
Football too is a major focus, and while their odds aren’t the best, their selection of markets is almost unrivaled on the two most popular betting sports in Britain.
Despite this focus, we found that the amount of other betting markets made available, even including chess, among other things, was huge, and so if you want to get a bet on a popular event, the chances are you’re going to be able to do it via Ladbrokes.
It came as no surprise to us, given the sheer size of this brand, that their security was top-notch. Ladbrokes, as well as sister brand Coral and all of those under the auspices of Entain, is licenced by the Gambling Commission in the UK and is therefore heavily regulated.
There is a strong emphasis put on responsible gambling, with associated charities and dedicated organisations supported, while account bet limits can also be put in place.
That focus on responsible gambling is very evident as soon as you read through the site information. After an account is opened, you are given options immediately to be able to restrict your own play, take time-outs or read information on gambling-related harm.
Encryption of the site is exactly how we’d expect it to be, too, so all of your personal and financial data will be kept safe. Ladbrokes do all they can in this regard to protect players, though as an extra layer of security, you should be aware of what your chosen payment provider does, such as your bank or eWallet.
The company, via what is now known as the Ladbrokes Coral Trust, is also heavily involved in community and charity work which really helps the reputation of the brand.
Formed in 2003, the Trust gets its funding from event days and other fundraising efforts, supporting a host of good causes.
In all Ladbrokes reviews, customer service will be crucial, and ours is no different. Great support from the team is what essentially separates the great bookies from the merely good.
Ladbrokes, for their part, have a strong FAQ section which answers just about all the well-known, repeating queries. That said, they leave the door firmly open for customers to get in contact in a number of ways.
Those with accounts can email the team when signed in. This will lead to replies in a few hours, sometimes much less, and while the tone of any emails from customer services is polite, a lot of answers to queries this way will often be similar to what can already be found in the FAQ’s.
All phone calls to the team are free on 0800 731 6191, are answered relatively swiftly, and will get you through to a knowledgeable support team member who will more than likely answer your questions quickly and appropriately.
Our recommended ways to get in touch with Ladbrokes, however, are far more modern. The site does have a good live chat function, meaning you can be in touch with the team instantly and get whatever answers you need in writing, but also in real-time, which we love.
As well as this, Ladbrokes are pretty strong on social media, so feel free to message or tweet them, and a team member will get back to you in minutes. Tweet @ladbrokes with your message, and you’ll be surprised at the fast and detailed way in which your queries are taken care of.
There is just one downside here; customer service isn’t available 24 hours a day which is a big surprise. You can contact the team from 8 am – 11 pm daily, which is something that needs to be addressed soon.
The one thing we’d expect before even opening the Ladbrokes main page would be plenty of features, and we weren’t disappointed in that regard.
Extras are growing all the time with this brand, keeping them among the best firms available on the market, with these being among their best features:
this is essentially a cross between a VIP scheme and a retail loyalty card. Your Grid Card can be used online or in person in the betting offices, with loyalty points adding up to a number of bonuses you can claim.
as with many top brands, you can build your own bet with Ladbrokes. There is no limit on how many selections you can add to the bet builder in one match, which is a major plus point, so you can create your own unique accumulator online or via mobile and get the highest price possible.
live betting is offered on tons of sports. In-play betting is biggest within football, of course, where odds and markets are live up to the second, though you can also bet on races in-running too.
as long as a cash-out is available on your particular selection, you can do it in a second just by hitting the Cash Out button. This is a great way to either guarantee a profit before the end of an event if your selection is doing well or to cut some losses if you now feel your selection is about to lose.
Ladbrokes has one of the best live streaming libraries out there. All UK and Irish horse races are shown live, along with some international events, while lots of other sports, including tennis, are also beamed out in high quality. There may be a bet requirement depending on the sport, something that is shown clearly in the In-Play Betting section.
a dedicated Ladbrokes sports betting app is available; details below.
Ladbrokes have one of the best mobiles apps around, downloaded by millions. Naturally, the app is free and is available for both iOS and Android devices via the App Store and Google Play, respectively.
The app is very well engineered, smooth, slick, fast, and incredibly easy to navigate. Players can access all features, including cash-out, live betting, streaming, etc., as well as grab all bonuses and promotions via the app without the need to log in on the desktop site.
The app is colourful and incredibly user-friendly, making it just about the best in the business, having had some amazing feedback from regular users.
Following a similar design is the mobile site, accessible via browser on all smartphones and tablets. It compares quite well to the desktop site but is even more comparable to the app and is, of course, available without download, which comes with its own short-term benefits.
All-in-all, the app works better, though, as it takes no space up on your browser tabs and is easier to log into, so given that there are no obvious flaws in it, then it seems downloading that is the way to go for betting with Ladbrokes on the move.
Given that every single popular betting site available on the market will have issues to overcome and cannot, of course, please every punter, the Ladbrokes offering really does remain a very strong one in comparison to most.
True, their customer service should be 24/7, and there should be a larger cash amount offered as a bonus, but there is precious little wrong with anything else on this platform at all.
Ladbrokes is in a unique position. They have the benefit of more than 100 years of experience in the betting game but somehow manage to offer one of the best, most modern betting experiences to punters via great features, a strong app, and a range of live betting markets.
Individual odds, especially on market leaders, could be a tad more generous, but by shopping around, striking at the right time, using BOG and price boosts, even this can be overcome with Ladbrokes leaving the brand with hardly anything to worry about in terms of its overall offering to sports bettors.
Yes. The brand is licenced and regulated by the Gambling Commission, meaning it is stringently monitored and regulated.Yes. The brand is fully licenced by the Gambling Commission in the UK, making it heavily regulated.
The biggest betting markets are on football, American football, basketball, tennis and horse racing, though there are many other sports and events to wager on.
Top developers Playtech, Evolution, NetEnt, IGT, NextGen, Barcrest, and others all work closely with Ladbrokes.
Ladbrokes always offers new customers a sign-up bonus, casino bonuses are also given, while ongoing promos include Acca boosts, Create Your Own Bet, and price boosts on selected markets.
Ladbrokes has full Remote and Non-Remote licences from the Gambling Commission, active for the main brand, Spin, Coral, and Betdaq.
Customer service is very good however it is only available from 8 am to 11 pm each day.
You can deposit from £5 to £99,999 with a debit card at Ladbrokes, the method with the biggest range.
The minimum withdrawal with Ladbrokes is £5.
Withdrawals tend to take 1-3 days with Ladbrokes, usually on the lower end of that scale. They are almost instant with eWallets such as PayPal.
Ladbrokes’ Grid Card is a free loyalty card. It allows members to earn points and rewards online, in the shops, and via mobile.
Yes, for both iOS and Android devices.
Yes. Their in-play selection is very strong.
Yes. Streaming is available on a host of sports. With some, you may only need to be logged in; with others, you may be required to place a small bet first, i.e., £1 per horse race.
New players only. 3x buy-in bonuses. % varies between 50% and 100%. Min £20 cash buy-in per bonus. Max bonus £700 in total. Bonus valid on classic slot games only. Exclusions apply. Max £2 stake. 20x wager requirements on total of buy-in and bonus amount. Bonus valid for 7 days. Keep it fun - set your deposit limit. T&C's apply.
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