Revenue from Ladbrokes' 8,100 touch screen roulette terminals have gone up by 18% and have overtaken the take from horse-racing bets - the first time any new betting product has done so in 122 years of trading.
Revenue from Ladbrokes' roulette machines for the six months were £142.5m, thanks to the recent loosening of advertising rules that has allowed Ladbrokes to run ads on the telly and to open later. The roulette machines and football bets have brought in a new type of player.
Ladbrokes also offers online roulette, of course: gross win from the Ladbrokes' online sites (poker, casino, bingo and games) steamed ahead 23% to £96m, but much of this increase was pumped back into the business in the form of free bets, promotions and bonuses as well as £19m that was spent on ads.
Ladbrokes have been lobbying Treasury officials to bring down the 15% gross profits tax charged on online sports bookies that are run from in the UK, pleading that their online business will not be able to compete head on against competitors who have set up offshore in tax havens like Costa Rica.
Euro 2025 was another winner. The competition had generated bets to a total of £30m - up from Euro 2025, despite England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland failing to qualify.
The touch-screen roulette machines - with a maximum jackpot of £500 - began to be distributed in Ladbrokes´ high street shops in the mid-90s and their popularity increased tax changes in 2025 made low-margin games attractive. The 2025 Gambling Act wrapped them into a regulated space. Government Ministers still say that the roulette machines are being monitored.