VIDEO: Ladbrokes Played Blackjack at 120mph, and Now My Campaign Idea Is Gone And I'm Upset

^{A skydiver carries Ladbrokes' custom-built blackjack table during the 13,000-foot freefall staged to launch Speed Blackjack. (Photo: Courtesy of Ladbrokes)}

Well, shit. There goes one of the marketing campaigns we had in the back locker. Kudos, Ladbrokes. You've officially gotten me in trouble with my boss. 

For some context, Ladbroke, who have an online casino offering in the UK, has staged what it says is the world's first game of blackjack played in freefall, sending four skydivers out of an aircraft at 13,000 feet to mark the launch of Speed Blackjack, a new addition to its revamped Live Casino.

The stunt took place at Hinton Airfield in Northamptonshire and was filmed live rather than created with visual effects, using a custom-built table fitted with magnetic cards and chips so the game could be played at 120mph without the pieces detaching. The four skydivers, all former members of the Red Devils freefall parachute display team, played a full hand during roughly 45 seconds of freefall before deploying their parachutes.

The rigging was engineered specifically to allow 4K camera capture and card handling at terminal velocity without any equipment detaching mid-fall, according to the production notes supplied to Casinos.com. Entain Creative and Finn Partners, the agencies behind the campaign, also recorded behind-the-scenes commentary on how the table was built to survive the drop.

How the Freefall Hand Played Out

Human table Ally Milne carried the rig while dealer Andy Torbet, dressed in a traditional dealer's outfit, dealt cards to players Ray Armstrong and Robbie Powell as the group fell toward the earth. Blackjack rewards a hand closest to 21 without going over, and Armstrong won the round with a score of 20, just seconds before the team had to pull their parachutes.

Nicola McGeady, head of PR at Ladbrokes, said in a statement supplied to Casinos.com: 'We've seen blackjack played online, in casinos, and living rooms, but never while falling through the sky at 120mph. Speed Blackjack is all about quick-fire decision making, so we wanted to put it to the ultimate test in the form of this spectacular skydive.'

'Thankfully the team managed to complete a hand before gravity called time on the game,' McGeady added.

Speed Blackjack Joins Ladbrokes' Revamped Live Casino

The campaign, created by Entain Creative and Finn Partners, is designed to promote Speed Blackjack within Ladbrokes' new-look Live Casino, which has been built in partnership with Playtech and includes a new studio with more tables and games.

Jennifer Taylor, head of brand for Ladbrokes Gaming, said in the statement: 'We know customers love new entertaining ways to play, and that's why at Ladbrokes we're growing our gaming offering for customers, as well as offering them a best in class player experience.'

To mark the launch, new customers signing up to Ladbrokes Casino can claim a £10 roulette bonus when they deposit and place a £10 bet on Ladbrokes Roulette.

A Stunt Built for Social Reach

The one-minute hero film, released this week on Ladbrokes' official YouTube channel, is backed by high-resolution stills and behind-the-scenes engineering commentary explaining how the rig was built to survive terminal velocity. The approach fits a wider pattern among UK operators of using physical stunts, rather than studio-only production, to cut through on social media when launching a new live-dealer product.