Overview
Visit the Ladbrokes Casino homepage and scroll to the bottom and you’ll find a bunch of promotional text that boldly declares that the site offers “Big Games. Bigger Bonuses. Biggest Jackpots!” Now, despite being slightly subjective, these conditions are actually testable and in this Ladbrokes Casino review we’re going to hold them up to scrutiny.
Naturally, this doesn’t mean we’re out to unfairly criticise an online casino that’s been around since 2000. No, what we want to do is see whether the claims are true and, moreover, if the gaming side of a major sports betting brand is actually as slick as you’d expect.
Pros & Cons
- Longstanding history in the industry
- Great welcome bonus
- Two loyalty schemes
- Safe, secure and fair games
- Fully licensed and regulated
- Site is a little disjointed
- Could be more games
- Mobile apps are confusing
Welcome Bonus and Special Offers
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As we mentioned in our intro, Ladbrokes Casino claims to have “bigger bonuses”. If we look at the Ladbrokes Casino welcome bonus, there’s no denying you can receive a large amount of free cash when you join. Applied to your first deposit and worth up to £500, this 100% match bonus is unlocked when you add at least £20 to your account.
On the surface, this is a fairly strong deal as £500 is a respectable sum. However, it’s certainly not the biggest or, indeed, “bigger” than some of the deals out there. Take, for example, Dunder Casino. This recent upstart has had to hit the ground running and that means offering a welcome bonus that’s slightly larger than the norm. In this instance, newbies will get up to £600 plus 200 free spins when they join and make three deposits.
In this respect, Ladbrokes Casino falls short in terms of overall size. However, there are some positives to note. Firstly, the deal is applied to a single deposit and not three. If you’re an online casino veteran or high volume player, a single deposit bonus is better as it allows you to extract max value in one hit. Obviously, the flipside of this is that newbies may struggle to get the full benefit of the deal. Another positive for Ladbrokes Casino’s welcome reward is the wagering requirements. Although table games such as roulette and blackjack are only given a 20% contribution weighting (we’ve seen as high as 25%), you do only have to wager 20X the deposit + bonus amount. Compared to Dunder which is 25X the deposit + bonuses amount, moreover the industry average of 30X, Ladbrokes’ conditions are more than fair.
Promotions
Beyond the welcome bonus, Ladbrokes Casino offers a selection of cash giveaways, but the most interesting offers are linked to the VIP scheme and the Ladbrokes Adventure promo. Starting with the VIP scheme, the system stretches across Ladbrokes’ casino and sports betting platforms and you earn points in the following ways:
- 2 points for every £10 stake on Slots, Scratch cards and Bingo
- 1 point for every £10 stake for all other Casino games
- 2.5 points for every £10 stake for Sports single bets
- 3 points for every £10 stake for Sports multiple bets
The ability to earn points across multiple disciplines is fantastic and perfect for those that love to stay active. Once you start earning, you’ll climb the four VIP levels based on your deposits and points tally:
- Bronze = £1,000 in deposits + 1,500 points
- Silver = £2,000 in deposits + 2,500 points
- Gold = £4,000 in deposits + 12,500 points
- Platinum = Invite Only
As you climb the VIP ladder, you’ll be emailed special promos, enjoy enhanced customer support and redeem points for cash. Beyond the traditional VIP scheme which, in our opinion, is more suited to serious players that put in a fair bit of time online, Ladbrokes Casino has a “casual” reward system known as Adventure. Open to every real money player, Ladbrokes Adventure allows you to upload an avatar and then complete various challenges in order to earn coins.
Inside the Adventure tab, you’ll see various feats you need to complete such as “make XX bets on XX games”, “place a bet via your mobile” etc. Each challenge will earn you a certain amount of coins which can then be used to buy scratchcards filled with cash prizes. Essentially, this is a more relaxed loyalty scheme that allows you to plod along at your own pace, purchase scratchcards for points and win random cash prizes. In our opinion, this is a fantastic little system that’s perfect for casual players.
Software and Games
Back to Ladbrokes Casino’s claim that it’s a big player in town, the homepage literature suggests that it offers “big games”. Unfortunately, this is where the operator’s claims fall down. Even though the welcome bonus is able to compete with the current wave of upstarts vying for supremacy, Ladbrokes Casino menu is a little sparse in comparison. In total, you’ll find around 290 games from software suppliers such as IGT, NetEnt and Novomatic Interactive.
For those in the know, these are highly rated software suppliers, so you can be confident that every game, from slots to live dealer roulette, is high quality and fair. Moreover, these partnerships mean you’ll get instant access to industry classics such as Rainbow Riches, Starburst and Deal or No Deal. However, despite the apparent quality, the site is lacking in quantity when you consider a site such as Dunder has more than 1,000 games. On top of this lack of size, Ladbrokes Casino isn’t the most efficient site.
Even though it uses Flash Player to offer no download gaming, everything feels a little clunky and tough to find. Indeed, when you arrive on the homepage, there are multiple headings you can choose such as “Casino”, “Slots”, “Games” and “Live Casino”. These headings are fairly self-explanatory, but they all feel a little unnecessary. Do you need to click casino or should you head to games? Basically, we felt that the overall layout was a little disjointed and not conducive to a slick searching experience.
Having said this, the interface is secure and you’ll be able to use the familiar gaming grid layout to find the following free play and real money games (betting from as little as £0.01):
- Video and jackpot slots
- Blackjack
- Roulette
- Video poker
- Table games
- Virtual sports
- Keno
- Scratchcards
- Arcade games
Mobile Casino
Much like the desktop site, Ladbrokes has made some mistakes (in our opinion) with its mobile apps. Now, you may disagree with us, but we feel the decision offer three mobile gaming apps instead of one is confusing. In simple terms, if you own an iOS or Android smartphone or tablet, you can download the following three apps via your native store:
- Ladbrokes Casino
- Ladbrokes Games
- Ladbrokes Live Casino
Fortunately, even though the designers have broken things down into three parts, the 100%, £500 welcome bonus is available across all platforms. However, this doesn’t make up for the fact you’ll have to download three apps if you want to experience the full roster of Ladbrokes Casino games via your mobile phone or tablet.
Of course, once you’re inside the each app, swiping through menus, tapping to increase your bets and scrolling is extremely efficient. Additionally, you can use pull-and-spin functions to play slots and have push notifications sent to your device so you never miss a new game or deal. However, for us, we don’t like the fact you have to download three different apps. Very few operators now do this and it’s something that Ladbrokes could certainly improve on if it wanted to solidify its status in the mobile market.
Deposit and Withdrawal
Ladbrokes Casino follows the standard range of payment options and they include: PayPal, Skrill, Visa, MasterCard and more. All deposits are processed instantly and fee free, while withdrawals also won’t cost you anything. In terms of limits and processing times, you will have to contact the support team if you want to cashout more than £5,000 in a single day.
Once you’ve requested a withdrawal, you’ll have to wait 48 hours for it to be processed and a further 48 hours for PayPal transfers to be completed. For any other withdrawal methods (listed under “bank transfers”), the transfer period takes between 3 and 5 days.
Security & Trustworthiness
Ladbrokes is one of the leading betting brands in the UK and this actually counts for a lot when it comes to online gaming. Trust is something all operators strive to achieve and Ladbrokes Casino has an innate trust thanks to its longstanding presence in the UK. To go back a few decades, Ladbrokes was first founded as a bookmaker in 1886. Since then the company has expanded and diversified (it merged with Coral in 2016) and is now listed on the London Stock Exchange.
In addition to this industry experience, Ladbrokes Casino is fully regulated by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). This means that every game, bonus and piece of software has to comply with some of the toughest safety and security standards in the world. Finally, if you’re ever unsure if a game is fair or worth your time, Ladbrokes Casino publishes the theoretical RTPs for each of its games. This ability to check means you can rest assured that Ladbrokes Casino is highly trustworthy.
When it comes to community feedback, security doesn’t seem to be an issue. Payment processing times have been found wanting according to some users, but members of The Pogg and Ask Gamblers haven’t flagged up any serious safety concerns. In fact, one of the main issues some players have is that the verification process for new players can take a while. This could mean the security department is slow or just very careful. Either way, we know they’re doing their job.
Customer Support
If you need a helping hand, Ladbrokes Casino has a full FAQ section as well as a live chat feature and two phone numbers:
- UK: 0800 032 1133
- Outside UK: +350 200 43003
Additionally, in a bid to keep you connected, Ladbrokes has active Twitter (@Ladbrokes) and Facebook (Ladbrokes). Finally, there is a Ladbrokes YouTube channel where you can view the company’s latest TV adverts as well as breakdowns of new games and bonuses. Overall, if you need some info, Ladbrokes has plenty of ways for you to stay up to date.
Conclusion
Ladbrokes Casino claims to be bigger and better than most and, in some respects, this is true. If you’re a fan of bonuses, the rewards you can claim are not only lucrative but designed to suit players at both ends of the skill spectrum. In tandem with this, the games menu is fairly well stocked and there are some sizeable progressive jackpots you can pick up.
However, when it comes to software and design, both for desktop and mobile players, Ladbrokes Casino does slip a little. Overall, Ladbrokes Casino is an industry veteran with a lot of plus points, but it does show its age in some areas. For trust and quality, this site is great, but there are a few bells and whistles missing if you’re used to some of the new online casinos out there.
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