Ladbrokes launches 'Bet British' advertising campaign ladbrokes

ladbrokes today (Saturday 21st March) launches a new advertising campaign highlighting the benefits of betting with UK licensed bookmakers.

ladbrokes employs over 15,000 people in the UK, with over 1,000 people working in its telephone and online betting operations (Liverpool and London). While Ladbrokes is expanding internationally with operations in Belgium, Spain, Italy and elsewhere around the world, Ladbrokes is headquartered in the UK and pays tax and horseracing levies in the UK.

Many telephone and online bookmakers now operate from offshore locations such as Gibraltar, Malta, Isle of Man or Alderney where they enjoy considerable tax benefits - typically paying 1% or less in tax. Offshore operators include BlueSquare, Stan James, BetFred, Victor Chandler and SportingBet.

The ladbrokes advertising campaign, which will appear in the Racing Post, aims to encourage consumers to bet with British based bookmakers who contribute to the Horserace Betting Levy, pay UK taxes and service customers through UK-based betting operations.
During 2008 Ladbrokes paid £100.4m in Gross Profits Tax, £68.5 million in VAT and £49.9 million in Corporation Tax as well as paying £40.4 million in levy to UK horseracing and £45 million in local taxes. Ladbrokes alone accounted for 35% of the total Horserace and Betting Levy for 2007/8.

Ciaran O'Brien, Head of PR at ladbrokes commented on the campaign: "Very few advertisers in the Racing Post are paying tax or levy in the UK but not many consumers would be aware of this. We are informing betting customers that by betting with ladbrokes or other UK-based operators they are encouraging employment and tax generation in the UK as well as supporting British racing through the levy. We are also reinforcing the fact that while we are increasingly a global business we remain as British as British beef."