Ladbrokes UK sport betting review 2023 - Free bet bonus & sign up offer

Ladbrokes was founded at the end of the 19th century and for a long time operated illegally due to the ban on betting in Great Britain. However, this only slowed down, but did not completely stop the bookmaker's development.

Nowadays Ladbrokes is considered one of the leaders in its business. Our ranking of British betting companies will help you determine its place. The rankings are based on the personal experience of experts on various parameters.

Official Ladbrokes website

The site has a casual but very vibrant look to it, thanks to the striking mix of red and white. However, design is clearly not the company's strong suit as Ladbrokes focuses on the core objective of offering a betting service to their users. It's worth admitting that the alphabetical structure of the menu seriously contributes to this.

The top side is dedicated to the most popular sections, among which is the bookmaker's blog. It often contains useful articles and stories about successful cases of British punters applying betting strategies. There is also useful information in the "grid" section, where everyone can find up-to-date statistics by sport. Below that is another row with direct links to the menu categories. Then there is the in-play betting mode, where the most popular events will be within one click.

A couple of flattering words should be said about the quality of the usability. All the important information is easy to find, and the popular menu categories are also very intuitive to use. The speed of the Ladbrokes betting company's online portal also contributes to this.

Security methods of website

Once a customer has created a gaming account, they can set their own limits on financial transactions. Links to useful articles on the subject are scattered all over the Ladbrokes website. So even if you are a complete beginner in the world of betting, it is possible to get up to speed on the topic fairly quickly. A new user can choose how much they are willing to lose in a day, a week or a month. It is not possible to fill in more than one limit at a time, so keep that in mind.

The bookmaker guarantees its customers complete privacy policy. This means that all transactions and personal data of Ladbrokes users are protected from interference by third parties.

Welcome Bonus from Ladbrokes

Like other experienced bookies in the British market, Ladbrokes has a Bet £5 Get £20 offer available for new customers. The freebet customers receive is split into two equal tokens of £10 each. A wager that has been made for a minimum of £5 within 14 days of creating a new play account is considered a qualifying bet. There are no restrictions on sports, but there are minimum market odds. A wager must be placed with a minimum odds of 1.50.

As of August 2023, this is the only new player bonus available from the bookie. The only other important thing to note about it is that you have exactly one week, i.e. 7 days, to use the freebets.

Promo codes

Within the affiliate programmes Ladbrokes promo codes are provided on an individual basis.

Offers for current clients of Ladbrokes

As a compensation for the small number of promotional campaigns for new users, Ladbrokes offers an extensive bonus program for existing customers. The guarantee of the best odds on greyhound racing became popular during the coronavirus pandemic, when the big football tournaments took a break. Since then, this bonus has caught on so much that it has become a regular feature.

In addition to the BOG promotion for a single sporting discipline, the bookmaker provides daily tokens with price increases in various markets. Our experts have managed to catch five such offers in the course of just one calendar day, which of course is a potentially lucrative deal. Especially since Ladbrokes doesn't limit you in terms of disciplines as part of this offer.

Acca Insurance bonuses have already become a commonplace in the betting market. However, the special flavour and charm adds to it, depending on the particular company. For example, in the mobile app we're considering, insurance is offered on multi bets that consist of a minimum of five legs.

Grid Card

The Ladbrokes bookmaker has a special club of experienced punters, which they let in for the purpose of offering exclusive rewards. As part of their Grid Card, for example, customers can gain access to daily cashback, freebets and detailed stats, which newcomers are deprived of. Importantly, other members of this loyalty scheme are allowed to come to each other's aid, including you. This kind of experience sharing is important, especially if you haven't had this opportunity before. All of the benefits described above are given to users in exchange for points, which they accumulate while betting and using Ladbrokes online casino services.

Ladbrokes's Mobile App

You can access your account on your mobile phone using both the mobile adapted version of the main website and by downloading special applications. Both Android and iOs platforms are freely available. There is no need to visit the Marketplace, because the direct links to the mobile apps are available on the bookmaker's official website.

In terms of design, the mobile app repeats the style of the main Ladbrokes resource, the colour scheme is also used identically. However, the interface itself, according to user feedback, could be much more informative. Although, at least in terms of usability, the software for gadgets is very decent. It is still possible to place a bet in two clicks, when it is not entirely convenient. This is what the betting shop's mobile applications must offer.

Additional features

Unless a modern UK bookmaker's site and mobile app features Cash Out, the ability to apply a betting constructor and view several sporting events in an evening, such services are simply doomed. That's why the company we're looking at today is trying to keep up with the times. At least with the content, and we'll dig into the quality of each of the modern features in more detail below.

Live Streaming at Ladbrokes

Online streaming is not available for the entire list of events offered by the bookmaker for in-play betting, but the service is still available. The quality is mediocre. If you want to have a quick look at all the matches available for streaming, use the online video quick tab called “Live Stream”.

Bet Builder

A request with the hashtag #GetAPrice via the bookmaker's official social media channels allows Ladbrokes customers to apply the football betting builder. And it is possible to combine quite a lot of events into one offer for further evaluation by analysts. The flexibility of the betting constructor is worth a very high mark.

Cash Out

Here, too, there are advantages for club members of the Grid Card. But not in the possibility of using partial cash out, but in the greater number of events offered for early settlement.

Final say

The level of the line concerning the size of the odds cannot be written down as a plus at the Ladbrokes bookmaker's office. But the list is good, there is a lot of markets for every event, there is a lot to choose from. The good news is that there is a separate section with broadcasts on the website and in the mobile app. This makes it easier to search by category while using the service.

Apart from the low odds in pre-match, we should also mention as a negative point the meagre bonus policy for new punters. On the other hand, existing customers have plenty of leverage and privileges that can be used regularly and quite profitably for themselves. To the small disadvantages, let's note also the interface of Ladbrokes' official resources, which needs updating and a fresher look.

There are three steps to create an account at a betting shop website. First of all, enter your country of residence (UK), and the currency of the account. Then you need to enter your email address and come up with a username and password. Last two nuances are very important, because later you will use them to get into your account.

The second step is probably the easiest - you just need to choose your gender, write your first and last name, and also mark the date of birth in a special filter, which is immediately needed for automatic verification. The point is that by doing so, the client confirms that they have reached the age of 18. However, it may be necessary to provide colour copies of the documents to be able to withdraw funds in the future.

All you need to do is specify your physical address and enter your ZIP code. The rest of the parameters will be filled in automatically in a special field. It also wouldn't hurt to leave your contact phone number with the bookie and familiarise yourself with the terms and conditions. Channels for communicating with bonuses via e-mail may be selected by ticking the boxes or you may mark all four methods (SMS, e-mail, post code, phone call) simultaneously.

Restrictions on registration

As stated above, only adult British citizens may open an account at the Ladbrokes betting site. Also only one gambling account per house or IP address is allowed. So if your computer or smartphone has previously been used to register by someone else, you won't be able to do it again.

Ladbrokes has a bigger pre-event odds line-up than most of their competitors (50 disciplines vs. 30). On the other hand, they are not impressed with the sheer size of the margins, which makes the odds extraordinarily low and they have not been able to compete with the UK leaders in this field for a long time. With a margin of 9-11%, this betting company relies solely on the recognition of its own brand.

Even for a mediocre football match, and not necessarily an official one, Ladbrokes offers around 200 markets, which is also seriously above the market average in terms of coverage. The odds can be displayed in both European, decimal, and American form. But there is no third option. On the other hand, the minimum betting amount of 1p is pleasing. 

Ladbrokes has a good selection of markets for political events and television shows available online and in its mobile app. You can bet on them both in the outright format and just before the start of the event.

Betting on esport at Ladbrokes

The breadth of the lineup is not far behind that of the classic sports and esport. The number of markets is also almost the highest we have seen on the British market. The odds, however, just like in traditional sports, are not impressive especially for punters.

LIVE betting mode

The centre-board of Ladbrokes' online betting website is regularly updated. This creates even a visual proof that Ladbrokes has a huge selection of in-play events.

The line-up, as well as the margin level, in general does not differ much from the pre-match. However, it is not always convenient to follow the changes in quotes, which can be solved by a more modern design.