Toals.com
Year established: 1932
Mobile compatible: Yes
Jurisdiction: Ireland & UK
Overall rating: C
Recommended: For recreational players
Toals Sportsbook Review
Toals Bookmakers is an old school betting operator which has been in the game a long, long time. It first started in 1932 with the first branch opening in Ballymena in Northern Ireland.
From its humble beginnings the company expanded in both size and reputation and now boasts about 50 outlets in total. Evermore of a rarity in this day and age, the bookie also maintains a telephone betting service which is open seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Northern Ireland’s leading bookmaker also has an online presence and it has an app too.
Toals is the main sponsor of Crusaders FC, the Co.Antrim FA, the NADAFL Harry Clarke Cup and is affiliated with the Ulster National at Downpatrick Racecourse on a regular basis. It’s incredibly well known and well regarded in Northern Ireland but outside of the country, not so much. Toals continues to dominate the betting shop scene in NI too; in 2015 it opened the largest betting shop across both Britain and Ireland on Belfast’s High Street.
It is partnered with FSB Technology and licensed through the UK Gambling Commission. It is partner of both GamCare and Gambleaware.
Betting markets
As a historic bookmaker in Northern Ireland it’s no surprise that Toals is greatly focused on football and horse racing.
It’s also big on greyhounds, and these days offers a whole range of more extensive options. These include Basketball, Tennis, MMA, Golf, GAA Football, GAA Hurling, Cricket, American Football, Aussie Rules, Baseball, Handball, Motorsports, Ice Hockey, Boxing, Cycling, Darts, Pool, Olympics, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Snooker, and Volleyball.
Toals has casino options too but no virtuals are currently present on the site. There are some Specials markets which change regularly, and are generally a little on the thin side.
Toals, somewhat notably these days, does not offer any esports markets.
Live Betting
Toals isn’t the most modern of bookmakers; it maintains its phone betting service, its site could do with an overhaul and update and it’s a primarily land operations focused entity. That said it does offer inplay betting options.
Via FSB Technology Toals is able to provide its online customers with live markets across sports, though it doesn’t include live streaming and as such loses out to a number of bigger competitors which do so, and in turn offer the user a more engaging experience. Toals should also try to supply the customer with more easily congestible data about the live markets; for instance as much up to the minute information about the match and each participant as possible.
Usability of the site
As mentioned the Toals site needs an update. It has an old school feel, and whilst this will appeal to some in its simplicity it will doubtless put others off.
The site layout is easy to navigate with Sportsbook, Casino and Live Casino the main categories along the very top, and then the site’s top sports offerings along the main heading on the homepage.
The colour scheme is easy on the eye and not too garish which suits the bookies’ customer base, and moreover there is some aspect of modernity with the social media feed embedded and visible down the right hand side. In one click users can switch between decimal and fractional odds, and if you need further assistance customer service is available via email.
The lack of live chat is a stumbling block and will frustrate many who rightly expect this level of accessibility and help from a betting operator these days.
The shop locator is another nice tool along the top, though naturally it’ll only be of real use to those based in Northern Ireland it’s cool to see where the historic bookie’s shops are spread and located. The news section is handy too for keeping up to date with the Toals brand, its sponsorships and so on.
Toals is slowly but surely moving into the future too, and it now has a mobile app for those who prefer betting on the go.
Conclusion
Since its humble beginnings in 1932 Toals has come a long way, and in 2015 recorded some milestone when it opened the largest betting shop in Great Britain on Belfast’s High Street.
In addition to its numerous outlets throughout Northern Ireland, it now has an online presence (both site and app) too. Toals is a trustworthy and well established bookmaker, and for sports betting, especially football and racing, you could do a lot worse.
Advantages:
- Land based bookmaker in Northern Ireland;
- Backed by an experienced company;
- Sportsbook and online casino games are offered;
- Most major sports and many other sports and events offered;
- Multiple football match betting markets;
- Great live betting section;
- Regular promotions and money back specials;
- Toals app is easy to download, for quick and ‘on the move’ live betting;
- Active social media accounts with regular updates and good engagement on both twitter and Facebook;
- Licensed by the UK Gambling Commission for security and reassurance when betting.
Disadvantages:
- Relatively new in the online betting world;
- Not well known outside of Northern Ireland;
- High wagering requirements on some promotions;
- Odds aren’t the greatest for local sports;
- Long list of restricted territories;
- Narrow choice of payment methods.
Payments:
Visa/Mastercard, Maestro, Bank Transfer
*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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