A big hitter on the high street and online, Ladbrokes took its first bets in 1886. Today, Ladbrokes not only remains as recognisable as ever but, thanks to its range of sports markets and betting bonuses, it’s also one of our highest-ranked online bookmakers.

If you want to find out more about this iconic brand’s online offering, you’re in the right place. Our impartial Ladbrokes review brings all the essential info about the site, to ensure you get the most from your account when you sign up. Let’s look closer at why Ladbrokes might be your best bet for UK online sports betting. If you’re looking for information about the casino offering, check out our review of Ladbrokes Casino.

pros icon Pros:

  • Wide selection of sports and markets
  • Good range of free bet offers and promos
  • In-play betting available

cons icon Cons:

  • The welcome bonus could be more generous

Ladbrokes Welcome Bonus

Bet £5, get £20 in free bets
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, 18+. Full T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly. begambleaware.org

There’s £20 in free bet credits up for grabs when you sign up for an online betting account with Ladbrokes. To claim the bonus, all you need to do is deposit and wager at least £5. You can place your bet on any sport and even split it up into smaller bets if preferred, so long as the odds for any selections are 1/2 or greater.

You’ll have 14 days to place your qualifying bets and as soon as you do, Ladbrokes will credit your account with four free bet credits worth £5 each.

You’ll then have seven days to use your free bets before they expire. There are no wagering requirements attached to your free bet tokens, so anything you win will be yours to put in your pocket – although you won’t the initial stake back.

Ladbrokes excludes certain payment methods, including e-wallets and prepaid cards from this welcome offer, so it pays to check the T&Cs carefully.


Sports available at Ladbrokes

The sports selection is where Ladbrokes’ experience really starts to show. The site offers over 50 different sports, each occupying an individual section with all the details you need about in-play, upcoming events, and the exciting ways you can have a flutter.

The Ladbrokes sports offering includes mainstream markets like football, boxing, and horse racing, along with more niche selections like canoeing, gymnastics, and wrestling. There’s real depth here, so no matter what you fancy betting on, there’s a good chance you’ll find the wager you want.

  • American Football
  • Australian Rules Football
  • Bandy
  • Baseball
  • Basketball
  • Beach Volleyball
  • Boxing
  • Cricket
  • Cycling
  • Darts
  • eSports
  • F1 and Motorsports
  • Fishing
  • Football
  • Futsal
  • GAA Sports
  • Golf
  • Greyhounds
  • Handball
  • Horse Racing
  • Ice Hockey
  • International Tote
  • Motorsports
  • Netball
  • Poker
  • Politics
  • Pool
  • Rugby League
  • Rugby Union
  • Snooker
  • Table Tennis
  • Tennis
  • UFC/MMA
  • Virtual Sports
  • Volleyball

Odds

The betting odds at Ladbrokes are as competitive as you’d expect from a top bookmaker like this. What’s more, a variety of odds-based offers, promos and features can help punters squeeze even more value from their bets. There are enhanced prices available on a wide variety of markets every day, a best odds guarantee on all UK and Irish horse and greyhound races, and a free daily odds boost token to use on any sporting event.

Ladbrokes lets you create bespoke, multi-wager slips with its bet builder tool. You also have the option of delving into the Ladbrokes Exchange, which lets punters bet against each other on a range of markets. For social media users, Ladbrokes offers a service called #GetAPrice. This feature allows punters to request custom odds for selected events by tweeting Ladbrokes using the hashtag #getaprice.


Live Betting & Streaming

With its coverage of pre-event markets pretty much nailed, it’s no surprise that Ladbrokes packs a punch when it comes to live betting action. Punters can place in-play bets on various sports, including popular selections like football, tennis, and golf. There are plenty of in-play markets available every day, and an ‘upcoming’ section showcasing the future event schedule ensures you need never miss a thing.

To keep you up to date with the twists and turns of events, most of the pages for in-play betting markets come loaded with extras like animated graphics and real-time stats. Better still is the opportunity to access free live streams of a wide selection of events, including football, tennis, and horse racing. All these great features help keep you up to speed as you decide what to bet on next.

As you watch the action unfold on Ladbrokes, the cashout feature may prove handy. Cashout is available on selected bets and allows you to settle your wager before the event comes to its natural conclusion. If you’re in line for a win, but the outcome could still go either way, it’s a great way to lock in a cash return no matter how the event plays out. It can also help you cut your losses if things aren’t going your way!

Partial cash out is also available, which is ideal for punters who want a secure profit while still enjoying the thrill of waiting to see if the rest of the bet comes in.


Promotions

New punters aren’t the only ones who can scoop bonuses at Ladbrokes. With regular free bet offers celebrating everything from the running of the Grand National to the arrival of a new Premier League season, this bookie provides ample reasons for sports bettors to stick around.

Some of the current offers at Ladbrokes will be on the money with football fans. The 1-2-FREE competition is a weekly free-to-enter promo where customers must correctly predict the score of three selected games. You win a £1 free bet if you get one prediction right, a £5 free bet if you get two right and a whopping £100 cash prize if you land all three.

You can also try out the innovative 5-A-Side competition, which sees punters put together a five-man-strong dream team for selected games in some of Europe’s top leagues and competitions. Punters can then place a range of 5-A-Side wagers, in the style of a bet builder, with every bet placed going into a leaderboard-style contest. The winners scoop a range of prizes, including cash, vouchers and free bet tokens.

For bettors who prefer the paddock to the pitch, there are several horse racing promotions to get stuck into, including extra places on selected races every day and a best price guarantee on all UK and Irish horse racing. Take the price whenever you want, and if the starting price changes in your favour, Ladbrokes will payout at the improved odds.

On the other hand, if the odds shorten after you accept a price, you still benefit from the original odds should your horse come in. It’s that simple, and the same great deal applies to greyhound racing, too.


Design & Usability

Ladbrokes is one of those brands that feels familiar straight away. Little wonder when you consider that the company has been around for well over a century.

The red and white logo stands loud and proud in the top left-hand corner of the site, with that recognisable colour scheme reflected throughout the rest of the platform. It doesn’t take long for the layout of the site to feel familiar, either. An A-Z list of all the sports set out down the left-hand side makes it easy to pick out any sport you want right from the home page.

Extra tabs for in-play betting, virtual sports, and promotions add to the overall ease of navigating the site. And, of course, placing a bet is the simplest thing of all. Just click on any selection you fancy to fire up your online betting slip.


Cashier

Ladbrokes offers a fairly small selection of banking methods, but most customers will find an option to suit. You can deposit using a Visa, Mastercard, or Maestro debit card, by PayPal, and using prepaid Paysafecard vouchers, not to mention the Ladbrokes Grid Card. All the payment options double as withdrawal methods, except for Paysafecard.

Ladbrokes excludes new customers from making withdrawals to Mastercard debit cards, only offering this functionality to existing customers who have previously registered and used a card on the site.

The lack of prominent banking methods like Skrill and Neteller will be a drawback for some punters, making this is an area Ladbrokes could – and should – improve upon.

Deposit and Withdrawal Times and Limits

All the payment methods available at Ladbrokes offer instant deposits. The minimum deposit is usually £5, though it’s PayPal that’s the exception to the rule with a minimum deposit amount of £10.

Withdrawals are straightforward and often quick, too. Punters who request a payout to their debit card can expect to wait between one and three days for their cash, except those lucky ones whose cards qualify for Visa Fast Funds – in that scenario, funds will land within four hours.

PayPal is similarly swift when it comes to withdrawals, with transactions completing within eight hours. Holders of the Ladbrokes Grid Card also have the option to request an over-the-counter cash withdrawal with no minimum from any of Ladbrokes’ high street betting shops.

You can pay by:

Bank Transfer, Entropay, GiroPay, Maestro, Mastercard, Neteller, PayPal, PaysafeCard, Skrill, Visa Electron, Western Union

You can withdraw by:

Entropay , Maestro , Mastercard , Neteller , PayPal , Skrill , Visa Debit , Visa Electron


App Review

A fully loaded mobile app makes Ladbrokes a top pick for betting on the move.

Available as a free download for both Android and Apple devices, the app comes packed with all the same great sports, markets, and features that you’ll find on the Ladbrokes desktop and mobile browser sites. Finding your way around is simple thanks to navigation bars that sit at the top and bottom of the screen, offering links to all the best bits of the app.

Design-wise, the app looks a lot like the brand’s other platforms, ensuring a familiar experience no matter how you choose to bet online.

The Ladbrokes mobile sports betting app is a top pick for punters on the go.


History of Ladbrokes

2016

Ladbrokes merges with Coral and changes its name to Ladbrokes Coral Group.

1998

Ladbrokes purchases Coral and its 891 betting locations, but is ordered to sell it by the government due to anti-competition rules.

1975

Ladbrokes purchases Lingfield Park racecourse.

1961

The government legalises betting shops, and Ladbrokes opens a number of its own.

1902

The Ladbrokes name is adopted and the company moves to London.

1886

Ladbrokes is founded in Warwickshire by Schwind and Pennington.


Also available at Coral


Ladbrokes Customer Support

Ladbrokes offers a range of customer support options, though the site directs customers through a lengthy FAQ section before revealing the ways to get in touch.

Contact methods include an online form, telephone support, and 24/7 on-site live chat for logged in customers. The bookie also maintains active profiles on Facebook and Twitter.

Your Questions Answered

What is the Grid?

The Grid is Ladbrokes’ loyalty scheme for regular bettors. It comes with a membership card and app and is an easy way to link your in-store betting to your online activities. Member benefits include free bets, money back offers and the option to withdraw your winnings in cash at Ladbrokes betting shops.

Our Verdict

With over 130 years and counting in the business, it’s little surprise that Ladbrokes is one of the most popular betting brands in the country. The online arm doesn’t disappoint either, with an impressive selection of sports, markets, and promotional offers to suit all players.

If you feel like Ladbrokes has the features you want from an online bookie, you can use the link on our review to head on over and claim your free bet tokens.