Ladbrokes review: Entain's racing app, its BetStop breaches and what we could not check

Verdict

Ladbrokes gets 5.7 out of 10, and a good part of that number is caution rather than criticism. Ladbrokes is properly licensed and its app is one of the most feature-packed in the market. But ACMA's May 2026 finding against its owner, Entain, goes to the heart of player protection, and we could not read Ladbrokes' own terms or payout rules, because ladbrokes.com.au and its help centre would not load from our location on 8 October 2026. Every criterion we could not verify is capped at 5.0.

Who is behind Ladbrokes

The Northern Territory register lists "LADBROKES AU" under Entain Group Pty Ltd, with ladbrokes.com.au as the website. The same company holds the Neds brand. On Apple's Australian App Store the Ladbrokes app is sold by LB Operations Pty Ltd and developed by Ladbrokes Digital Australia Pty Ltd. It was rated 4.5 from about 43,900 ratings on 8 October 2026.

One company behind two brands matters for one reason above others: if you have accounts with both, they are customer accounts of the same licensee. ACMA's finding below shows why that should be joined up, and was not.

The ACMA findings

May 2026, BetStop. ACMA found more than 500 contraventions of the national self-exclusion rules by Entain across Ladbrokes AU and Neds AU. Entain opened accounts for people registered on BetStop and provided services to them, failed to close accounts of self-excluded customers (one stayed open more than a year), and did not adequately promote BetStop in texts and emails. ACMA said Entain's systems did not adequately link all of a customer's accounts. Entain entered an 18-month court-enforceable undertaking requiring an independent review of its compliance systems. ACMA noted an infringement notice was not available in these circumstances.

2023, in-play. Entain Pty Ltd paid a $13,320 infringement notice after accepting 78 in-play bets on the LIV Golf Invitational Bangkok in October 2022. In December 2023 ACMA also found Ladbrokes, Neds, Sportsbet and bet365 used Fast or Quick Codes that facilitated online in-play betting; it took no further action once the codes were changed.

If you have registered with BetStop, no licensed bookmaker should hold an open account for you. Our self exclusion guide explains your rights if one does.

Ladbrokes bonus codes and sign-up offers

"Ladbrokes bonus code", "deposit match" and "sign up bonus" are among the most searched Ladbrokes terms, so to be plain: licensed Australian bookmakers cannot offer any incentive to open an account or to refer someone, under Measure 4 of the National Consumer Protection Framework. It started on 26 May 2019, and 26 November 2019 in NSW. We do not publish codes. Our betting sign up bonus guide explains the rule and what bonus bets for existing customers are really worth.

Ladbrokes app and racing features

Everything in this section comes from the Ladbrokes App Store listing, the operator's own description:

A note on Big Bets: following large money tells you where money went, not that it was right. A market that has shortened from $4.00 to $3.00 now implies 33% instead of 25%, so you are paying more for the same horse.

Deposits, withdrawals and login

The listing names Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, PayID and Apple Pay for deposits. Since 11 June 2024 licensed bookmakers cannot take credit cards or credit linked through a digital wallet, so the card has to be a debit card. For withdrawals the listing promises only that they are "processed fast". We could not confirm stated withdrawal times, minimums or any inactivity fee, and we will update this review when the help centre is readable.

For login problems, the help centre is where Ladbrokes publishes its instructions, and it did not load for us either.

Responsible gambling tools

The listing describes Punter Assist: deposit limits, betting limits, control over which sports and racing markets you can see, and curfews. That is more than the legal minimum, which is a deposit limit you cannot raise on the spot plus monthly activity statements. The ACMA finding is a reminder that tools only work if the systems behind them do. Compare Ladbrokes with its sister brand in our Neds review.

How we scored it

• Payments 5.0, terms 5.0, support 5.0: capped, because we could not read the payout pages, terms or contact details.
• Safety 6.0: a Northern Territory licence and a large owner, minus a serious 2026 BetStop finding and the 2023 in-play penalty.
• Responsible gambling 6.5: Punter Assist goes beyond the minimum; the BetStop failures pull it down.
• Bet features 7.5: a strong racing and multi offer on the operator's own description.

Weights: how we rate.