Ladbrokes are giving players extra reasons to play Instant Spins as well as their free Game Show and Slot Contests. Those reasons are called LadBucks
Ladbrokes “Ladbucks” ad banned after being too close to Fortnite
UK sportsbook Ladbrokes has come under fire from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) after an advert sounded too similar to video games targeted at children. The gambling giant’s advert has been banned to prevent encouraging under-18s from participating.
Aired in December 2024, the ASA deemed the language used in the voice-over to be too close to particular video games. In the advert, the voice over states:
“This is a Ladbuck, the new way to get rewarded at Ladbrokes, and these are some of the 100 million Ladbucks that will be dropping weekly.
“Collect them on our free-to-play games and choose rewards like free spins, free bets, and more.
“Plus, you can even use them to play your favourite games for free in our Ladbucks arcade. Like Fishin Frenzy and Goldstrike.”
Fortnite and Roblox connections land Ladbrokes in hot water
The word “Ladbucks” is partially what landed the company in the mess to begin with. While Ladbrokes hasn’t altered any branding in response to this, the ASA has deemed that it’s far too close to games like Fortnite and Roblox.
In those games, in-game currencies called “V-Bucks” and “Robux” can be bought, which can be exchanged for in-game skins and items.
Part of the explanation as to how the ASA came to this conclusion is quite funny, seeing an authority having to explain in an official statement the lore behind Fortnite. V-Bucks actually stands for “Vindertech bucks”, a company within Fortnite’s story. With Ladbrokes using “Ladbucks”, the ASA claims that under-18s will potentially recognise it and make the connection.
The ASA broke down Ladbroke’s defence of the branded term, including that they didn’t believe it was close enough to either child-centric game to draw in potential underage gamblers. Ladbrokes also defended the use of a poker chip, which the ASA said looked similar to a coin representing both in-game currencies.
Another point made was that Ladbrokes didn’t believe that the word “lad” could be construed as something to target a younger audience. However, Ladbrokes also claims this wasn’t brought up in the original complaint.
On top of this, Channel 4, the station that broadcast the advert, found it to be within “Code”.
The ASA hasn’t issued any fines or anything of the sort, but has instructed Ladbrokes not to air the advert on TV again.
What Are Ladbucks At Ladbrokes Casino?
One of the biggest issues with respect to daily free to play games is that they’re often quite unrewarding. On this site we’ve frequently lamented the lack of wins on the likes of The Bonus Drop, Paddy’s Wonder Wheel and The Prize Machine over at Sky Vegas. We’ve even questioned whether these particular mechanics are fixed and if no one actually ever wins the headlined star prizes of cash sums. Ladbrokes however have made adjustments to their offering and are giving players extra reasons to play Instant Spins as well as their free Game Show and Slot Contests. Those reasons are called LadBucks? But what exactly are Ladbucks and how do you get them?
All About LadBucks
Ladbrokes define LadBucks as “tokens you can collect for free from selected promotions, which you can then redeem for offers of your choice within the LadBucks Store or use to spin on our LadBucks Arcade”. Collecting the LadBucks is easy as all you need to do is play Instant Spins or take part in the free Gameshow Contests of free Slots Contests. For example if you play Instant Spins now you’re offered from the start a choice of a LadBucks Wheel and Gaming Wheel. If you choose the former then you’re guaranteed a win of LadBucks.?You can potentially win up to 5000 LadBucks on one spin although we suspect that you’re more than likely going to only pick up a handful. For reference at time of writing our wheel spin generated 300 Ladbucks!
Using Your LadBucks
Note that the tokens have no monetary value but they are useful to collect. Tokens can be used either in the Ladbrokes Arcade or Ladbrokes Store. The latter is simply a way of changing your LadBucks into free spins, free bets or bonuses. For example 300 LadBucks, as we won above, can be swapped for 3 free spins on classic slots or newest slots. If you hold on to your tokens for a little longer then you can get bigger rewards such as 10 free spins (1000), £5 free bet (5000) or £10 cash (10000). To get the bigger rewards you need to play in the Ladbrokes Arcade. This is where you can play selected slots using your tokens for the chance to win more tokens. Of course you can also lose them just as in any other slot game but where money is involved. Each spin will cost you 10 LadBucks and there’s no option to increase this amount. Once you have insufficient tokens to play then it’s game over and you’ll have to try and win some more via Instant Spins and the free contests.
Ladbrokes Arcade
Overall though we like the concept of LadBucks and that there are numerous ways to win them and also use them. Ladbrokes have made it very easy to get them with the Instant Spins daily free game. You can choose to grab yourself a reward such as free spins or simply use them to earn more. For us though the biggest attraction about LadBucks at Ladbrokes Arcade is that it gives you a chance to check out new slots without first committing real cash. That way you can determine if it’s a game you’d like to play another time with your money account. Free play used to be a standard thing on UK casino sites but many now don’t offer it. The only downside of Ladbrokes Arcade is the games are limited. Amongst the titles are Outlaw Bounty, Joker Fortunes, Fishin Frenzy, The Goonies Return, Rainbow Lobster Pots, Lock Of The Irish, Eye Of Horus, and Big Banker. Ladbrokes say that more games will be added soon.
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