Ladbrokes vs Sportsbet

Head-to-head at a glance

Here is how the two operators score across the categories we rate. Scores are out of 10 and reflect our editorial assessment of the supplied data, not a live account test.

• Odds: Ladbrokes 7.6 | Sportsbet 7.6
• Market coverage: Ladbrokes 8.4 | Sportsbet 8.5
• Sports depth: Ladbrokes 8.5 | Sportsbet 8.6
• Live capability: Ladbrokes 8.1 | Sportsbet 8.2
• Bet Builder: Ladbrokes 7.8 | Sportsbet 8.3
• Licence safety: Ladbrokes 9.2 | Sportsbet 9.0
• Payments: Ladbrokes 8.3 | Sportsbet 8.6
• Withdrawals: Ladbrokes 8.1 | Sportsbet 8.5
• App: Ladbrokes 8.4 | Sportsbet 9.0
• Features: Ladbrokes 8.2 | Sportsbet 8.6
• Support: Ladbrokes 8.0 | Sportsbet 8.2

Sportsbet wins or draws on most categories, with its clearest leads in the app and withdrawals. Ladbrokes' only outright lead in the ratings is licence safety. The interesting gap sits in the raw odds data below, where the headline 7.6 rating hides a real difference in pricing behaviour.

Odds and pricing: where the numbers diverge

Both bookies carry an identical odds rating of 7.6, but the underlying metrics tell a more useful story.

Across a sample of 258 Ladbrokes markets, Ladbrokes held the best available price on about 55% of them, with an average margin of roughly 5.82%. Sportsbet was sampled across 44 markets, holding best price on about 16%, with a tighter average margin near 4.91%.

Read that carefully. Ladbrokes topped the price more often in the sample, which matters if you line-shop across bookies and take whatever is longest. Sportsbet's lower average margin suggests it prices more competitively on the markets sampled, but the smaller sample size (44 vs 258) means treat the Sportsbet figure as indicative rather than settled.

Practical takeaway: if squeezing the best price is your priority, Ladbrokes topped the sample more consistently — but you should still compare both on the specific race or match you're backing, because neither wins every market. Our betting odds page and market movers tool help you spot where the value sits before you commit.

Sports and competitions covered

For Australian punters the coverage overlap is heavy, and both operators handle the domestic staples well.

• Horse racing: core to both, with Ladbrokes carrying the slightly deeper sports-depth reputation in racing markets.
• AFL: full Aussie Rules markets across the home-and-away season and finals.
• NRL: Rugby League match, line and multi markets.
• Cricket: Big Bash and Test matches.
• Tennis: ATP and WTA tours.
• Football: Premier League, A-League, Champions League and World Cup markets.
• Basketball: NBA and EuroLeague.

Sportsbet rates a touch higher on market coverage (8.5 vs 8.4) and sports depth (8.6 vs 8.5), so on the sheer number of markets per event it holds a narrow edge. Ladbrokes remains strong on racing depth. For most weekend punters betting AFL, NRL and the metro races, either will have what you need.

Apps and live betting

The app is Sportsbet's standout. It scores 9.0 against Ladbrokes' 8.4, and both offer native iOS and Android apps. If you do most of your betting on your phone during the footy or a race meeting, Sportsbet's higher app rating is the most tangible day-to-day difference between the two.

On live betting, the two are close: Sportsbet 8.2, Ladbrokes 8.1 for live capability. Both offer in-play betting and Cash Out. Ladbrokes lists Live Streaming among its features, which is a genuine point of difference if you like watching selected racing or sport within the app while you bet.

Bet Builder is available at both, so anyone telling you otherwise is wrong — Sportsbet rates higher here (8.3 vs 7.8), which fits its stronger same-game multi reputation. If building your own AFL or NRL multi is a big part of how you bet, Sportsbet is the more natural fit.

Payments, deposits and withdrawals

Both bookies take a $10 minimum deposit and quote withdrawal times of 0–24 hours, so on paper the cash flow is similar.

The difference is in methods:

• Ladbrokes: PayID, Visa, Mastercard.
• Sportsbet: PayID, Visa, Mastercard, plus Apple Pay.

Apple Pay is the deciding factor for a lot of iPhone users, and it's part of why Sportsbet rates higher on payments (8.6 vs 8.3) and withdrawals (8.5 vs 8.1). Both support PayID, which is generally the quickest way to move money in and out for Australian accounts.

If you specifically want Apple Pay, Sportsbet is the only one of the two that lists it. If PayID, Visa or Mastercard cover you, either works. See our PayID betting sites and Apple Pay betting sites pages for the wider market.

Licence and safety

Both Ladbrokes and Sportsbet are licensed under the NTRC (Northern Territory Racing Commission), the licensing body that covers most national online corporate bookmakers operating in Australia. State and territory racing and wagering authorities regulate the broader market, and the minimum betting age is 18.

On our licence-safety score Ladbrokes rates marginally higher at 9.2 versus Sportsbet's 9.0. Both are well-established: Ladbrokes traces its brand back to 1886 and Sportsbet was founded in 1993. In practice both sit at the safe end of the market — the 0.2 gap is a fine margin rather than a red flag against Sportsbet. If you want the full picture of who is properly licensed, our legal betting sites Australia page lists the operators we've confirmed against the register.

Which one should you choose?

Choose Ladbrokes if:

• You line-shop for the best price — it topped the odds sample far more often (about 55% vs 16%).
• Racing depth and in-app Live Streaming matter to you.
• You want the highest licence-safety score of the two.

Choose Sportsbet if:

• You bet mostly on your phone — its app rates 9.0.
• You want Apple Pay alongside PayID and cards.
• Same-game multis / Bet Builder are central to how you bet (8.3 vs 7.8).
• You value slightly faster-rated withdrawals and broader market coverage.

Many Australians hold both accounts and simply take whichever price is longer on the day. Given the odds sample above, that's a sensible approach — Ladbrokes won the price more often here, but not always, and Sportsbet priced tighter on average across its (smaller) sample. Read our full Ladbrokes review and Sportsbet review for the detail, or compare them against the wider field.