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Ladbrokes review: high-street stalwart impresses online
We give you a full lowdown on one of the best gambling platforms in the UK, Ladbrokes, including the latest on all its offers and promotions
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Introduction to Ladbrokes
Ladbrokes is one of the most famous and trusted brands in the world of bookmakers and has consistently maintained its popularity as one of the best destinations for sports bettors for decades. Ladbrokes have maintained their popularity amongst sports bettors for decades. With a huge amount of competition in the UK, where do Ladbrokes rank against other operators?
As users of this bookmaker, we feel well informed and able to offer a fair, objective opinion on all things Ladbrokes. We’ve analysed each aspect of what this operator can offer both new and existing customers.
Let’s begin by discussing how new customers can claim a welcome bonus to start their Ladbrokes journey.
Ladbrokes welcome offer
Ladbrokes has a brilliant welcome bonus available to all new eligible customers. If you’ve not already signed up, here’s what’s available for you when doing so. Eligible new customers can qualify for the Ladbrokes Bet £5 get £20 in free bets offer.
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 4 days on sports, stake not returned, restrictions apply. T&Cs apply.
You might come across other bookmaker offers that could offer a much higher amount in free bets or cash. This Ladbrokes offer shouldn’t necessarily be dismissed, though. It’s one of the easiest welcome offers to claim on the market right now, let’s take a look at how you can do just that.
The first step is to register an account with Ladbrokes. The process of creating an account here is similar to that when signing up with other bookmakers.
To do so, you will need to provide your personal information, including your full name, address and date of birth. We’ll come to this shortly.
Once you’ve landed on the Ladbrokes homepage, hit the Join Here button. Once your registration form has opened, complete all necessary fields. It’s important that all the information you provide is accurate and valid.
For this particular offer, a promo code is required. You will have the opportunity to enter this code during the sign up process.
Successfully registered? You can now make your first deposit. There are many methods you can use to deposit into your Ladbrokes account, we’ll come to this shortly. For the purposes of this particular Ladbrokes offer, certain payment methods are restricted. To claim your free bets, your first deposit must be made using any method other than Prepaid Cards, Moneybookers, PayPal, Paysafe, Neteller or Skrill.
To earn your £20 in free bets, your first wager needs to be of a stake of at least £5. You can place this qualifying bet on any Sportsbook market, as long as the odds are 1/2 or greater. Your first bet must be placed within 14 days of opening your account. Once you’ve placed your bet, you will receive your bonus.
The Ladbrokes bonus comes in the form of four £5 bets. Once you’ve received the freebies, you have four days in which to use them.
It’s important to note that the terms and conditions of this offer are subject to change. Ensure you read all the t’s and c’s listed on the Ladbrokes site before you attempt to claim your bonus.
A reasonably simple offer to claim, follow the steps below to qualify for your free bets.
- Head to the Ladbrokes site and hit Join Here
- Complete the registration form
- Make your first deposit, using an accepted payment method
- Place your first bet, with a stake of at least £5 and at odds of 1/2 or greater
- You will be awarded 4 x £5 free bets
- Use your free bets within four days of receipt
Remember, a Ladbrokes promo code is required to claim this offer. This code will be stated within the terms and conditions.
Sports markets available
There are many reasons for the enduring popularity of Ladbrokes. One key reason is the amount of sports and markets customers can bet on here. Their comprehensive offerings comprises almost 30 separate sports and events.
As you’d expect from a bookmaker whose history is steeped in the United Kingdom, Ladbrokes’s coverage of football, especially English football, is extensive with a wealth of markets and leagues available to bet on. Customers here can bet on matches and competitions taking place in over 40 countries, as well as international tournaments.
The number of betting markets Ladbrokes offer on individual football matches certainly competes well with other bookmakers. A typical Premier League match can see upwards of 150 separate markets priced up.
Included within these markets are some of the best prop markets across the UK with player shots, tackles and even passes all available to bet on throughout.
For major leagues in particular, such as the Premier League and Spain’s La Liga, you can take your choice from a huge range of football coupons.
It’s not just with football where Ladbrokes excel. Your horse racing options are particularly impressive here too.
If you’re a fan of betting on international races, Ladbrokes has got you covered with a wealth of different races available here from as far afield as South America, France and even South Africa.
Basketball is also a focus here, which shows Ladbrokes’ strategy to offer odds on competitions worldwide. While some bookmakers concentrate on NBA and NCAA action, there is basketball action from numerous countries. The number of markets available can vary dramatically, depending on which league you’re betting on, however.
With the rising popularity of betting on esports, Ladbrokes have jumped on board. There are a variety of esports odds and markets available with this operator, covering both domestic and international tournaments.
Many customers have reported that they find better odds online than in retail shops. In our experience, odds do vary slightly between online betting and high street betting on occasion. It’s worth comparing odds between both outlets before you bet.
Ladbrokes #GetAPrice
Many online operators now offer a request-a-bet service. The Ladbrokes version is Get A Price. With this feature, customers can create their own bets, either by combining existing markets or coming up with something completely unique.
Develop your bet, and use Twitter to send your request to Ladbrokes, using the hashtag #GetAPrice. The operator will reply to you with a link to place the bet, if accepted, these can often be longshot prices that allow punters to combine a number of different outcomes.
Currently, this feature is only available for selected football leagues and horse racing. This is a disappointment, particularly considering that other bookmakers offer a similar service on a range of sports.
You can only use Get A Price on pre-match bets. Allow plenty of time between your bet request and the kick-off to allow Ladbrokes’ traders to assess your request.
Interface across desktop, mobile and app
If you conduct most of your betting online, you need a site that offers a seamless and intuitive platform. It’s also important that the site is easy to navigate through, is graphically appealing and has quick loading times.
The Ladbrokes site meets some, but not all, of these demands. The site itself appears a little untidy. Once you’ve learnt how to access the sports and markets of your choice, the user experience is fine.
For newcomers, this slightly untidy look can make it hard at first to find the correct markets and sports that you are looking to bet on.
One reason for this is that there are so many sports and markets to cram in. Still, a better use of space on the site is needed to allow for a much simpler, and easier, user experience.
Interestingly enough, using the site on your mobile browser offers a completely different experience. The mobile version is much easier to use, as is the dedicated sports betting app. The app is available on both iOS and Android devices. If you’re planning on betting online often, we recommend using your smartphone or tablet.
In-play betting and live streaming
The importance of offering an excellent in-play betting service has become more apparent in recent years. Betting on live odds can offer more value than pre-event wagering, and can provide a more exhilarating and immediate betting experience.
At Ladbrokes, users can place in-play bets on a variety of sports. These include the following:
- Football
- Tennis
- Ice hockey
- Golf
- Basketball
- American football
- Rugby
- Cricket
On occasion, customers also have the opportunity to bet live on Television Specials. For example, it’s possible to bet on the next person to leave the I’m A Celebrity jungle or the Big Brother final as the broadcast takes place.
Live streaming is also an option available at Ladbrokes. To access any stream, all that is required is a funded Ladbrokes account.
The list of streams is extensive. You can stream football, tennis, basketball, rugby and cricket matches, along with many more. There are some broadcast restrictions, which apply to all UK bookmakers. For example, you won’t be able to stream live Premier League matches using your Ladbrokes account.
Payment options
The option to make funds transfers using a range of payment methods is an important one. It’s often not looked hard enough on by potential customers as they start to look at other aspects such as the ever popular betting markets when signing up.
There are a number of deposit and withdrawal methods available to you at Ladbrokes. Each method comes with terms and conditions, which can vary. Below, we’ve displayed the most common methods.
There are plenty of alternatives too. Other Ladbrokes banking methods include the following:
- Entropay
- Clickandbuy
- UKash
- Bank Wire
- Fast Bank Transfer
- Cheque
You can also make payments to and from your online account using a Ladbrokes high street shop.
Licencing information
When betting online, it’s vital your bookmaker is licenced. This protects your money, and ensures trust between operator and punter.
Ladbrokes are licenced by the British Gambling Commission for UK users. For those overseas, Ladbrokes hold a licence from the Government of Gibraltar and regulated by the Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner.
As part of their licence conditions, Ladbrokes are required to ensure the safety and security of each customer. As part of the Know Your Customer scheme each UK bookmaker has to abide by, the operator has to make sure all customers are aged 18 or over.
Customer service
On occasion, you might need help with your betting account. Got an issue with a bet placement? Using the Ladbrokes promo code? There are a variety of ways you can get in touch with the Ladbrokes customer support team.
The quickest method is to use the Ladbrokes Live Chat service. Live chat is available all day, every day. Alternatively, contact the team via email or telephone.
If you use social media, Ladbrokes provides a Chat With Us service using their Twitter page.
The Ladbrokes site also provides a comprehensive Help section. Under this tab, you’ll find a range of frequently asked questions and answers, covering deposits, withdrawals, betting queries and more.
Summary
Ladbrokes maintain their reputation as one of the UK’s best bookmakers, and with good reason. The range of sports and markets available here is extremely impressive, with plenty of choice for all sports betting fans.
It would be nice to see more bonus opportunities and promotions available, Ladbrokes can sometimes be lacking in this department. A refurbished desktop site would also be a vast improvement on what’s available right now.
Still, these are minor quibbles. In terms of available markets, competitive odds and safe, secure payment options, Ladbrokes still remains as one of the UK’s favourite bookmakers.