Coral.co.uk
Year established: 1926
Mobile compatible: Yes
Jurisdiction: Gibraltar & UK
Overall rating: B
Recommended: For recreational players
Coral Sportsbook Review
Coral itself was first established in 1926 and merged with Gala to form the mammoth Gala Coral Group in 2005. In doing so it became the UK’s largest bingo operator, and the third largest bookmaker.
The much anticipated Gala Coral - Ladbrokes merger should be completed by summer 2016 and will make the emerging company even more of a big hitter in the bookmaking world.
The history of Coral itself began with one Joe Coral, and the first shop was opened in 1961. Its ownership status gets considerably more complex from here. Coral was sold to Bass plc in 1981, and in 1997 almost changed hands once again with Ladbrokes the intended buyer. This deal though was blocked by the UK Monopolies and Mergers Commission, and Coral eventually ended up in the hands of a private investment firm which also purchased Eurobet, combined the two and changed the group name to Coral Eurobet. Coral Eurobet was then acquired by the Gala Group in 2005.
In 2007, and under the Eurobet brand, it was announced that Coral Eurobet would open retail outlets in Italy, and in 2009 there was a relocation of the company’s broadcasting department to a purpose built studio in Milton Keynes. It was from here that Coral TV was managed.
In 2015 Coral signed betting partnerships with both Norwich City and Fulham. In addition there are deals in place with Leeds United and Newcastle United, as well as Hull FC from the Rugby Super League. In 2014 Coral signed a two-year deal with Everton too meaning it’s one of the best represented betting operators in the Premier League. In 2015 Alan Shearer became a Coral ambassador.
Coral also sponsors greyhound stadiums at Romford and Brighton & Hove, the latter of which has been named the UK’s most scenic.
Betting markets
As one of the UK’s largest bookmakers, Coral has also ensured it has one of the largest and widest offerings of sports betting markets. From football to handball it offers a number of sports. Here they all are for your reading pleasure: American Football, Aussie Rules, Baseball, Basketball, Bowls, Boxing, Cricket, Cycling, Darts, Esports, Football, Formula 1, Gaelic Football, Golf, Greyhounds, Handball, Horse Racing, Horses - US Tote, Hurling, Ice Hockey, Olympics, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Snooker, Speedway, Tennis, UFC/MMA and Volleyball.
As well as all these Virtual Sports are also offered at Coral, as are non-sporting specials markets such as Politics and Entertainment.
In-play betting
Coral live betting and in-play is well complemented and enhanced by the Coral live streaming feature. This bookmaker’s in play markets are displayed on not once but twice on the home page; down the right hand side in addition to being one of the key tabs horizontally.
Whilst the Bet Inplay tab on Coral isn’t the best in terms of ease of use (it takes some getting the hang of) it’s comprehensive enough and the inplay calendar is a nice touch.
Usability of the site
The bright blue and green scheme is undoubtedly eye catching and it needs to be with an extremely busy homepage with all sorts going on, and different offers and sections being thrown at you from all quarters.
This busyness means that the Quick Links tab on the top left is especially useful and it’s conveniently placed just below the helpful search bar.
The Coral app is a great product whilst Coral customer service has a very modern feel; click help and it guides you through your issue to see if it can be answered via the Coral FAQs before offering you a range of options such as email, phone or live chat support if the FAQs do not solve the issue.
Coral radio is a nice bonus and Coral Connect (which links your retail and online accounts) is great too should you bet both online and instore. Coral banking options are as comprehensive as you’d expect and include Visa, Mastercard, Paypal, paysafecard, Skrill, Neteller and more.
Overall it’s hard to find any real flaws with Coral’s products, and it continues to innovate, acquire and improve.
Conclusion
Coral is a household name in UK bookmaking, and the Ladbrokes merger will only give it more oomph.
It’s a big name with big name betting partners throughout the Premier League and beyond, Coral mobile is excellent and the depth of options are great for any punter. It includes esports, virtual sports and live streaming which shows that it’s not scared to keep up with the times and continue to offer customers as much as possible.
Overall you can’t go wrong with Coral, and the Coral betting bonus is a great treat for new customers, though be wary that you ensure you meet the terms and conditions as there have been some complaints around the failure of Coral to honour the promotion based on this.
Advantages:
- Reputable and well established UK bookmaker;
- Great and long lasting experience in the business, financial stability;
- Top UK Sports coverage and a good range of global sports, too;
- Huge focus on football, horse racing and greyhound racing;
- Competitive odds;
- Regular special offers;
- Live streaming of selected sports;
- Quick user-friendly website which allows customers to place bets fast;
- Extensive customer service options;
- Fast payouts.
Disadvantages:
- Restricted betting limits;
- Bonus only open to UK and Ireland residents;
- You must have money in your account to access the live streaming feature;
- Some customers might find their market offering a little UK-centric;
- Limited payment methods for non UK punters;
- Quite a few restricted territories.
Payments:
Visa/Mastercard, Skrill (Moneybookers), Bank Transfer, Money Transfer, Western Union, Neteller, Ukash, Click2Pay, Paysafe, PayPal
*Keep in mind to double check information. Be prepared for changes to restricted countries, bonuses, currencies, deposit and payment options, languages, contact info.
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