Free Bets on Ladbrokes

Ladbrokes can trace its origins back to 1886 and the company name Ladbrokes was adopted in 1902 as commission agents for horses trained at Ladbroke Hall in Worcestershire.

When betting shops became legal in 1963, Ladbrokes established a retail chain which grew to over 2000 units in the UK and 2700 including Europe where Ladbrokes has shops in Belgium, Ireland and Spain.

Ladbrokes became famous on UK racecourses as the 'Magic Sign' where the opinions of Ladbrokes odds compilers were cautiously followed for fear of being hit by protective hedging. Believed to have connections in the country's top stables, when the 'Magic Sign' changed its odds, punters and bookmakers alike would be sure to react.

Ladbrokes had a large and long established telephone betting operation before joining the internet revolution in 2000 when it swiftly established itself as one of the busiest betting websites in the UK.

Ladbrokes PLC is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a member of the FTSE 250. Ladbrokes telephone and internet business is licensed and operated from Gibraltar.

Now a global leader in online betting and gaming, the Ladbrokes Group has annual revenues exceeding £1 billion, 16,000 employees worldwide and almost 800,000 active internet customers.
 

Offers and Promotions

Ladbrokes has an excellent welcome offer for new customers, the £50 Free Bet is very attractive and easy to collect.

Customers just need to register, remembering to add the Promo Code FB50 and place a first bet of at least £5 on any sport on the day of registration. Ladbrokes will match your first bet with up to £50 Free Bet.

The Free Bet is not encumbered with off-putting restrictions either, it is valid for 7 days and you can place the £50 Free Bet on any sport with no odds limitations.

The power of Ladbrokes name is a strong attraction and the company has generally avoided getting too involved with special promotions for sportsbooks customers. It does adhere to the industry standard (well, UK standard at least) Best Odds Guarantee, so customers taking an early price won't lose out if the SP is bigger.

Occasionally Ladbrokes will come out with a specific offer for a major sporting event and led the market when offering Non Runner-No Bet for ante-post bets on championship races at the 2011 Cheltenham Festival as early as November 2010.

Odds & Markets

Ladbrokes has a massive range of betting markets for just about any sport you could think of, plus betting on Politics, Music, TV Awards, Financials, Lottery, Virtual Sports and plenty of Specials with match betting in most horse races. Ladbrokes is one of the biggest bookmakers in the world, it is expected it will have one of the best range of betting opportunities and it doesn't disappoint.

The margins on offer for the betting markets are competitive, but prices for the market leaders tend to be conservatively priced and Ladbrokes rarely stand out with best odds for the more fancied contestants. This can be a good or bad point, small staking customers looking to pinch the best value will often draw a blank at Ladbrokes while bigger hitters wanting assurity of getting a good bet at a decent price should be quite pleased with Ladbrokes service.

Another aspect of Ladbrokes conservatism lies in the timing of betting markets, it will rarely be the first to publish odds, leaving it to the more progressive risk takers to test the waters. But again the policy pays dividends for customers who want confidence that when they submit their betting slip they aren't met with big restrictions on the stake.

Website

Ladbrokes has made improvements to the website which runs on Orbis Openbet platform, which is one of the slickest around. Navigation is simple and markets are nicely designed so that finding and choosing a selection is quick and easy, no matter what the market.

Live In-Play betting is available on the home page, customers can watch live racing and sports by selecting the WATCH  icon when accesing the relevant market. Ladbrokes provide a schedule of live sporting events, combining Ladbrokes TV with the various Satellite and TV channels, but could make the information a little more accessible for customers wanting to bet and watch online.

Ladbrokes provides an excellent level of live scores, results, form and stats with audio commentaries for racing and football.

With mobile betting on the increase, Ladbrokes has been quick to proved dedicated smartphone apps. Owners of handsets using Android 2.2 and iPhone owners can download two apps; Sports Bet for a full sports betting and Kick Off, an app dedicated to football betting. Ladbrokes Mobile service can cater for most modern handsets by offering access to betting In-Play, 1000s of sports betting markets and complete account functionality through its WAP service.