Ladbrokes Review
Terms and Conditions Apply - Age restricted to 18+ - Please see ladbrokes.com for full details
With a history dating back to 1886, you would be hard pressed to find a bookmaker so intrinsically linked to horse racing a betting in the United Kingdom. Originally a race horse agent, the company ventured into the gambling world and in 1961, opened a chain of UK betting shops and became the first to offer fixed odds gambling on football.
After various acquisitions and takeovers over the last few decades, the company has continued to grow into an international brand. In 2016, it acquired the Coral brand and became Britain’s largest bookmaker. Along with new partner Coral and UK bookmaker William Hill, the company remains one of the most popular on the high street and one of the most trusted names amongst punters.
The company transferred its experience to the online platform at the turn of the century and after some initial negative feedback regarding their website usability, they have since continued to revamp and develop their service. The Ladbrokes website is visually appealing but not too harsh on the eye. What’s more it is very easy to navigate and is laid out in a very intuitive way. Opening an account is fairly straightforward and as will be explored in this article, the sign-up bonus is extremely generous.
Betting Choice
Ladbrokes have always been pretty good when it comes to odds. After so many years of experience, you would expect them to be sharp when it comes to trading and setting prices and punters should not be disappointed with what they have to offer.
With so many big hitting rivals in the online marketplace, they cannot afford to rely on reputation alone and have made great efforts to provide a service to suit all requirements. Casual punters will find all the major international sports covered, while less prominent categories such as Aussies rules, chess, golf, MMA and volleyball are also featured.
It will come as no surprise that horse racing punters are extremely well catered for, in fact the company is still a major sponsor of the sport and remains one of the most popular amongst equine punters. As with many rivals, the home page has been setup to lead you exactly where you want go. Want to bet in-play? Current events are right on the home screen. Want the odds for upcoming events? They are all clearly displayed right in front of you. Want to check your betting slip? Again, it’s right there on the right-hand side of the page along with much more.
Other sections of the website are equally well laid out and you should have no problem finding the bet you are looking for as everything is just a click or two away. There are daily price boosts to appease the value seekers, while overall odds are very competitive when compared to their main rivals. They also offer best odds guaranteed and a subsequent price boost across all horse racing events and you cannot get fairer than that.
The live in-play section is up there with the likes of Bet365 for usability and once you have logged in and placed a bet, the cash out feature is always just a click away.
All Ladbrokes customers who have funds in their account or who have placed a bet in the last 24 hours will have access to thousands of live streams every year across a huge range of sports. Just click on the live streaming link and all the current live events will be displayed. Popular sports such as football, tennis, golf, basketball, cricket and baseball are covered amongst many others.
Ladbrokes also offers its own exchange service which is available by clicking on the link at the very top of the page. Punters who are familiar with similar services such as Betfair and Smarkets will enjoy this feature. The Exchange uses the existing Betdaq platform, with the partnership helping to increase liquidity in the peer-to-peer platform.
Withdrawals and deposits
Most major funding and withdrawal methods are available to registered Ladbrokes clientele. So whatever your preferred option, you should not be left disappointed.
You can use major credit and debit cards or online payment services like PayPal, Neteller and Skrill. There will be different limits and processing times (along with fees) for the different methods that you have with you. You can pull your funds out of your Ladbrokes account to your funding source again, different fees, limits and processing times will apply.
Accepted deposit methods
All UK customers can use the following deposit methods: Visa Mastercard Maestro Visa Electron PayPal Skrill Bank Transfer Ukash Neteller Limits, fees and processing times will depend on the third party operator in question.
Accepted withdrawal methods
All UK customers can use the following withdrawal methods: Visa Mastercard Bank Transfer ClickandBuy Neteller Skrill PayPal
Customer Service
At the top of the Ladbrokes website, there is a button with a phone symbol. When clicked, every contact method is instantly revealed including live chat, help centre, email, phone numbers and postal address. It is always a good sign when a company does not try to bury their contact details deep within the website, forcing you to click through many pages to find what you need. So this is a massive thumbs up for Ladbrokes. The fact that help is available 24/7 is always a plus.
Most general questions can be answered via the help centre but more complex issue are best dealt with on the phone or via the live chat.
As with most bookmakers, you may be asked to complete an ID verification process before you can withdraw any funds from your account. This is standard practice and nothing to be concerned about. ID that may be requested could include a scanned copy of passport, utility bill or bank card (with the number hidden).
Multi Sports Offer - Important Terms & Conditions
18+. New customers only. Promo code 'F50' required. Certain deposit methods excluded. Min £/€5 on win or each-way bet excluding Tote or pools = match max £/€50 free bet. Min odds 1/2 (1.5). Bet must be made within 14 days. Free bet valid for 4 days. Free bet stake not returned. Single bets only. Free bet cannot be used on certain markets. T&Cs apply.
Conclusion
Ladbrokes are one of the most familiar names in UK gambling so it is no wonder that so many punters feel comfortable dealing with them. The recent merger with Coral has strengthened their corner of the market and they have well and truly bounced back from the issues that plagued them during their early days online. The addition of a betting exchange to their repertoire has done even more to boost their user numbers and for some bettors there is no need to go anywhere else.
Of course, we would never recommend sticking to one bookmaker. After all, you need to find the best value to increase your overall yield. But anyone looking to bet either on a casual or regular basis should open an account with Ladbrokes.
Terms and Conditions Apply - Age restricted to 18+ - Please see ladbrokes.com for full details