Ladbrokes is fairly typical of an online sports gambling website, offering everything from poker and other casino games to backgammon and financial betting, as well as sports as diverse as cricket and football, volleyball and trotting.

The site is attractively and thoughtfully laid out to enable instant access to the area of your choice with a few clicks at the most, with a few tabs to the main presentations along the top of the page and the detailed breakdown in the left margin. Visual icons appear down the right hand margin, so you always know where you are on the site.

The ever-popular online bingo is here of course, and clicking that option opens up a screen full of goodies and promotions, end entry into all the games currently available. There is also a help area if you run into any problems and full instructions on how to get started.

Most online gambling sites have special offers to welcome newcomers, which usually comes in the form of a cash bonus to entice you in and to get you up and running.

Sites such as Ladbrokes and William Hill reflect their high street operations, but there are many more Internet gambling sites springing up that are purely online presences. They all have the same basic range of services on offer, and it’s mainly a matter of choosing the site you feel most comfortable with. There are usually social areas where you can meet other players through live chat and make a few friends.