Why do sportsbook apps include a casino?

Why do some sportsbook apps include a casino? The main reasons

Operators don't publish a single reason, but the logic is easy to follow. A combined app gives the operator one product to build, test and update, and gives you one login and one balance for everything it offers.

There's also a clear commercial reason. Someone who opens the app for a football bet is a short tap away from a slot or a roulette table, and casino games bring in a large share of online gambling revenue. If you want the other side of the question, our page on what a standalone casino app is explains why some brands keep the two apart. Our questions hub has more answers about how apps are put together.

• One account: you verify your age and identity once.
• One wallet: a deposit can be used for a bet or a spin.
• One download: less to install and update on your phone.
• Cross-selling: betting customers see casino games, and the reverse.

Online casino vs sports betting: where operators make their money

The Gambling Commission's industry statistics for April 2025 to March 2026 (opens in a new tab) show why casino matters to betting brands. Gross gambling yield (GGY) is what operators keep after paying out winnings.

Online casino games made up most of the remote total, and slots most of the casino figure. For a sportsbook, adding a casino tab is a way to reach that revenue from customers it already has. That money comes from players' losses, which is a useful reminder of how casino apps make money: the house edge means players as a group lose over time.

What Apple and Google require of a combined betting and casino app

A combined app can only exist if the operator is licensed for everything inside it. Both app stores say so in their own words.

Google's real-money gambling policy (opens in a new tab) is the clearest on product scope: an operator licensed only for betting couldn't add a casino tab. Google's country allowances page (opens in a new tab) lists the UK as allowing online casino games, sports betting and lotteries. Our App Store rules page covers both stores in more depth.

Example: 10bet's combined sportsbook and casino app

10bet is the clearest example among our partners. Its iPhone app is called 10bet: Sports Betting & Casino and sits in the App Store's Sports category, not Casino.

• Sports features in the listing: in-play betting, Cash Out, Bet Builder and live streaming.
• Casino in the same app: 2,000+ slots according to the iOS listing, or 3,000+ casino games according to Google Play, plus live casino tables.
• App details: 112.3 MB, iOS 16.0 or later, published by 10bet Limited with copyright Blue Star Planet Limited.
• Licence: Blue Star Planet Limited, Gambling Commission account 43173.

The welcome offer shows how product lines stay separate even inside one app. To get the casino bonus, you choose the casino welcome bonus at sign-up rather than a sports offer. See our 10bet app review and does 10bet have a casino app? for more.

Casumo: a casino brand that added sports

The traffic goes both ways. Casumo is known as a casino, but its iPhone app is called Casumo Casino & Sports Betting and lists under Casino. On Google Play, its app title is Casumo - Live Casino & Slots.

So a combined app doesn't always mean a sportsbook with a casino bolted on. Sometimes it's a casino that has added betting. Our Casumo app review explains how the two products sit together.

Why Coral and Ladbrokes keep casino in a separate app

Not every betting brand combines. Coral and Ladbrokes, both run by LC International Limited for Entain, each publish a casino app that their App Store listings describe as separate from the brand's sportsbook app.

That gives casino players a home screen built around games, and lets sports bettors avoid a casino tab entirely. The Coral app review and Ladbrokes app review cover each casino app, and our standalone vs sportsbook apps comparison weighs up the two approaches.

UK rules that limit cross-selling inside sportsbook apps

Combined apps used to be a natural place for offers that bridged sport and casino. Two changes have narrowed that.

The Commission announced both January 2026 changes in its news on safer, simpler promotions (opens in a new tab). Our mixed-product bonus ban and marketing consent pages explain each rule.

There's no separate rule against putting casino and sport in one app. The rules govern offers and marketing, not app design.

How to manage a sportsbook app that includes a casino

If you only want to bet on sport, a casino tab you never asked for can be a distraction. These steps help keep it in its place.

1. Set your marketing preferences to the products you actually want. Since May 2025, you can opt in to betting and leave casino off.
2. Turn off push notifications for the app in your phone's settings if you don't want any prompts at all.
3. Set a deposit limit. Because one wallet covers both products, the limit applies to all your spending with that operator.
4. Use a time-out or reality check if you notice you're drifting into casino games.
5. Consider using a casino brand's separate app, or the website, if you only want casino games, so the two don't mix.
6. If you want to stop gambling entirely, register with GAMSTOP, which covers all British-licensed online operators.

For more on each tool, see setting deposit limits in a casino app and how to turn off casino app notifications.

Combined sportsbook app or separate casino app: which suits you?

There's no right answer, only a better fit for how you play.

• You mainly bet on sport and rarely play casino: a combined app saves space, but set your marketing preferences to betting only.
• You mainly play casino games: a standalone casino app opens straight to games and avoids betting prompts.
• You want firm boundaries: keeping products in separate apps, or using neither, makes it easier to notice how much you're playing.
• You're short on storage: check listed sizes, which range from 25.4 MB for PlayOJO's iPhone app to 112.3 MB for 10bet's combined app.

Our best standalone casino apps list ranks the dedicated options.

Casino apps that keep casino separate from sports betting

If you'd rather your casino games lived in their own app, all three featured brands do that: Coral and Ladbrokes have casino apps apart from their sportsbooks, and PlayOJO has no sportsbook at all. Each offer is a slots offer with conditions, and every spin carries a house edge. 18+ and terms apply.

• Coral Casino: new players deposit (some payment types excluded) and bet £10+ on slots to get 100 free spins on selected games, 10p each. Spins must be accepted within 48 hours and used within 7 days. No wagering on free spin winnings. Neteller, PayPal, Paysafe, Skrill, prepaid cards and certain debit cards don't qualify. Runs 1 October 2026 to 1 February 2027.
• Ladbrokes Casino: new customers deposit and spend £10+ on slots to get 50 free spins a day for 10 days, 500 at most, 10p each on selected games. Claim each day before 23:59; spins are valid for 7 days. No wagering. Prepaid cards, PayPal, Paysafe, Neteller, Skrill and Moneybookers deposits don't qualify.
• PlayOJO: new UK customers, apart from Northern Ireland, get 80 free spins on Big Bass Bonanza at 10p each on a first deposit of at least £10. No wagering, and winnings are paid in cash. It can't be combined with other offers and only works through the designated offer link.

Because LC International Limited runs both Coral and Ladbrokes, you may not be able to hold new accounts at both.

18+. Every casino game has a built-in house edge, so over time you should expect to lose what you stake. Set a budget before you play and stop when it’s gone: safer gambling tools and support. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.