Ladbroke Sporting Casino
Ladbroke Sporting Casino caricature cartoon playing cards, U.K, c.2006.
The new Ladbrokes Casino & Sports Bar opened on the 18th July 2006, and according to the extra card in this pack it was “the first new licence to be awarded in London for nine years”. Located centrally the casino was Ladbroke’s first foray back into the land-based casino business since the 1990s.
The court cards and aces show cartoons of leading figures from four different sporting arenas: golf (hearts); cricket (clubs); horse-racing (spades); rugby (diamonds), The single joker depicts the cricket commentator Brian Johnston. The miniature-sized pips are arranged in a standard format against a rectangular yellow background. See the box►



Above: Ladbroke Sporting Casino caricature cartoon playing cards, U.K, c.2006.

By Peter Burnett
Member since July 27, 2022
I graduated in Russian and East European Studies from Birmingham University in 1969. It was as an undergraduate in Moscow in 1968 that I stumbled upon my first 3 packs of “unusual” playing cards which fired my curiosity and thence my life-long interest. I began researching and collecting cards in the early 1970s, since when I’ve acquired over 3,330 packs of non-standard cards, mainly from North America, UK and Western Europe, and of course from Russia and the former communist countries.
Following my retirement from the Bodleian Library in Dec. 2007 I took up a new role as Head of Library Development at the International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP) to support library development in low-income countries. This work necessitated regular training visits to many sub-Saharan African countries and also further afield, to Vietnam, Nepal and Bangladesh – all of which provided rich opportunities to further expand my playing card collection.
Since 2019 I’ve been working part-time in the Bodleian Library where I’ve been cataloguing the bequest of the late Donald Welsh, founder of the English Playing Card Society.
Trending Articles
Popular articles from the past 28 days
Related Articles

Woodblock and Stencil Queen of Clubs
A limited edition art print of the Queen of Clubs 1984 woodblock joker.

Woodblock and Stencil Jack of Hearts
A limited edition art print of the Jack of Hearts 1984 woodblock joker.

Woodblock and Stencil King of Diamonds
A limited edition art print of the King of Diamonds 1984 woodblock joker.

Woodblock and Stencil Jack of Clubs
A limited edition art print of the Jack of Clubs 1984 woodblock joker.

75: Early American cards
An overview of some of the early cards made in the United States.

Jägerkarte Nr.465
Dondorf Jägerkarte Nr. 465 playing cards dedicated to the theme of hunting, c.1930.

The Pack of Positivity
Katie Abey’s rainbow-coloured designs using crazy animals to convey motivating phrases.

On-line offsite data backup
On-line offsite data backup publicity playing cards produced by The Bunker, United Kingdom, c. 2004....

The Famous Dinosaurs Playing Cards
54 different dinosaurs, both large and small, illustrated by Cecilia Fitzsimons.

Commemorative Olympic Playing Cards
Commemorative Olympic Playing Cards produced by Waddingtons exclusively for Stanley Gibbons Antiquar...

Dorset Dialect Trails
‘Dorset Dialect Trails’ playing cards, United Kingdom, 2015.

Clamcleats playing cards
Clamcleats playing cards for sailors designed by Celia Allison, New Zealand, 1986.

Around the world in 54 cards
“Around the world in 54 cards” hand-coloured transformation pack produced by Peter Wood, United King...

The Journey
‘The Journey’ limited edition playing cards produced by Peter Wood, UK, 2008.

Carte da Gioco Mongolfiere
Various hot-air balloons on a pack from a small Florentine publisher.

Pretty Frills
‘Pretty Frills’ playing cards promoting curtain and blind accessories.

The Origin of Patience Games in English
Jessel’s Bibliography of works in English on Playing Cards and Gaming describes “The first book on P...

Centennial Olympic Games playing cards
Centennial Olympic Games playing cards celebrating the centenary of the modern Olympic Games, 1896-1...

The Broons and Oor Wullie playing cards
Characters from The Broons and Oor Wullie comic strips on their 75th anniversary.

History of London illustrated playing cards
A catalogue in 54 cards of some of the treasures held within the Museum of London collections.

Ladbroke Sporting Casino
Ladbroke Sporting Casino caricature cartoon playing cards, U.K, c.2006.

El Jueves playing cards
Caricatures of 52 famous Spaniards for the satirical magazine “El Jueves”.

The Evolution of Bezique boxed sets, 1869 to 1990
The first company to register Bezique materials with Stationers’ Hall was Josh Reynolds & Son in Sep...

Bicycle Negro League Baseball Museum
Bicycle Negro League Baseball Museum souvenir playing cards, USA, 2012.

Goodall 1915-1916 Sample Book
Complete contents of a sample book by Goodall & Sons

Goodall 1916 Rockleigh Sample Book
Complete contents of a sample book by Goodall

Goodall 1879-1880 Sample Book
Complete contents of a sample book by Goodall & Sons

De La Rue 1932-1933 Sample Book of Advertising cards
Complete contents of a sample book of advertising cards by De La Rue

A Gardener’s Labyrinth
Photographs of flowers, herbs and vegetables by leading photographer Tessa Traeger.

Political Players
Caricatures by Garth Stackhouse of American politicians involved in the 1996 presidential campaign.

Jonathan Hocus Pocus
Two sets of conjuring cards published by G. Martin, 6 Great St Thomas Apostle, London, early 19th ce...

Henley-on-Thames playing cards
Calendar events and visitor attractions to be found in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire.

Suzuki playing cards
Suzuki playing cards produced by Nintendo, Japan, 1978.

De La Rue Pocket Guides
The 19th Century saw the production, by all of the major companies, of pocket guides or “mini-books”...

National Railway Museum
National Railway Museum with drawings by Stuart Black, United Kingdom, 1993.

Will’s Cigarettes and Auction Bridge
In 1926 Will’s issued a set of 25 cigarette cards on Auction Bridge, presenting a range of hands ill...

The Club Series by G. Bell & Sons
George Bell & Sons produced ‘The Club Series’ of books each specialising in one or more of the popul...

Hoyle v Foster: whose name should we remember?
Hoyle’s name is associated with the rules by which many games are played, particularly card games B...

Jeu Tour de France 89 (Domex)
Cyclists from the Domex-Weinmann team who took part in the 1989 Tour de France.

Cribbage Patience or Cribbage Squares
Cribbage Patience or Cribbage Squares, produced by Messrs Edward Mortimer, Halifax and London.

Hoyle and his Legacy
Edmond Hoyle (1672-1769) was an English writer who made his name by writing on whist and a selection...

Glorious Scotland
54 photographic views of Scotland by Duncan I. McEwan.

A New Look at the Evolution of Whist Markers and Gaming Counters
This article aims to illustrate the evolution of whist and gaming counters from the 18th century to ...

Whist writers and pseudonyms
Why did so many early writers about whist and other card games feel the need to write under a pseudo...