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Coral review: everything you need to know
With so many options for bettors, how does Coral stand out from the crowd? Plus we show you how to claim to the Coral new customer offer
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Introduction to Coral
A well-known bookmaker that has steadily improved in recent years, Coral has an army of betting fans as members. With so many options for bettors to choose from, how does Coral stand out from the crowd?
As regular users of the Coral site, we’ve experienced everything that this operator has to offer. We’ve used this experience to offer an objective Coral review. Let’s start by showing you how you can claim the Coral new customer offer.
Coral welcome offer
Coral is well known for its range of bonus opportunities for new and existing customers. If you have yet to create a Coral account, you could be eligible for their Bet £5 Get £20 new customer offer.
18+. UK+IRE only. Min first bet £5 at odds 1/2 or more. Tote and Pool excluded. Must be placed within 14 days of account reg. £20 credited as 4 x £5 free bets. Not valid with Cash Out. Free bet valid for 4 days. Free bet stake not returned. T&Cs apply.
This offer is similar to that available at Ladbrokes, which is no surprise considering that the two operators merged in 2016. You could come across other bookmaker welcome bonuses that offer more in terms of free bets, but very few are as easy to claim as the Coral welcome bonus.
To start the qualification process, you will need to register an account with Coral. For those of you who are familiar with online bookmaker sign-ups, the process is pretty standard. But if you haven’t yet registered an online betting account, we’ll walk you through the steps of registering a Coral account.
Head to the Coral site and hit the Join Now button. Complete all required fields, including entering your full name, address and date of birth. All the information you enter must be accurate.
You may also need to provide additional documents to confirm your account. Since 2017, the Know Your Customer scheme has been a standard law across all UK bookmakers. If Coral can’t identify you, it will ask you to upload copies of your personal documents to confirm your name, age and address.
Some bookmaker welcome bonuses require the use of a promo code. For this Coral bonus, no promo code is needed.
Once your account has been accepted, you can make your first deposit. There are a number of deposit methods you can use in conjunction with your Coral account. We’ll come to these in more detail a little later. For this offer, customers need to use a deposit method other than Prepaid cards, Moneybookers, PayPal, Paysafe, Skrill or Neteller.
To qualify for this Coral bonus, you need to deposit and bet at least £5. Your bet can be placed on any Sportsbook market, except for Tote and Pools bets. A minimum odds requirement of 1/2 applies. Make sure you place your qualifying bet within 14 days of opening your account.
As soon as your qualifying bet has been placed, four £5 free bets will be credited to your account. You have seven days in which to use them, otherwise they will expire.
Other terms and conditions can apply. It’s important to get into the habit of reading the T&Cs of any offer you might take. Yes, it’s tedious, but it ensures you won’t make a mistake and miss out on your bonus.
Coral has one of the easiest bookmaker welcome offers to claim on the market, and the steps below summarise how to qualify for this promotion.
- Head to Coral and click on Join Now
- Fill in the registration form
- Make your first deposit using an eligible method
- Place your first bet, making sure of a stake of £5 or more at odds of 1/2 or greater
- Receive your free bets, to be used within seven days
There is no promo code required for this offer. Simply follow the terms and conditions stated on site to claim your £20 in free bets.
Sports markets available
Coral is one of the most popular bookmakers on the UK betting scene and it’s easy to see why. One reason for its enduring popularity is the range of sports and markets available here.
In fact, you would be hard pushed to find an operator that can match the sports coverage Coral provides. There are almost 50 different sports and events available to bet on here, a staggering number.
What is equally impressive is the number of markets available in each category. While many operators offer a good range of sports and markets, Coral sits top of the tree in terms of numbers.
Where does Coral excel? Well, let’s start with its comprehensive football coverage. You can bet on football matches taking place in almost 40 different countries, meaning there are hundreds of competitions from around the world with Coral odds attached.
Many UK operators offer an extensive range of markets on English football competitions, and the same can be said of Coral. Where Coral stands out, though, is in its coverage of tournaments from across the globe.
For example, want to bet on Japanese football? There are five different competitions to choose from. Prefer the USA? Take your pick from the MLS, USA NISA, USL Championship and the NPSL.
For those with a keen eye for bonus opportunities, you’ll find plenty of promotions throughout the year that focus on football events.
On to another favourite of UK bettors, horse racing. Coral horse racing odds cover meetings taking place all over the world. In addition to its extensive coverage of racing in the UK and Ireland, Coral also provides odds on meets in South Africa, France, Australia, India and the USA. Other international racing coverage is also provided on occasion.
As with football, many of Coral’s promotions focus on horse racing. You can also build your own racecard, selecting up to ten races taking place from any country.
We’re also impressed by the range of markets available on tennis, basketball, golf, cricket, the list goes on. Simply put, no matter what sport you want to bet on, it’s likely Coral has odds for it. On the rare occasion Coral can’t provide you with the market you want, why not request your own bet?
Let’s take a closer look at how you can request and build your own bets at Coral.
Coral #YourCall and Build Your Bet
We’ll start with Your Call. Using this feature, you can request odds on your own unique bet creation. Tweet the Coral team with your request and its traders will price it up for you.
This function is available on a range of sports, including football, cricket, horse racing, boxing and more. Your Call bets requested by other customers are listed on the Coral site too.
Unlike most of its competitors, Coral allows you to request a bet while the game is going on. Currently only available on football, the in-play Your Call feature is an impressive addition.
Coral also provides a Build Your Bet service. This feature is available on more than 100 football leagues and tournaments. You can combine existing markets to create your unique wager. In our experience, you can add as many markets as you wish. There is, though, a maximum odds limit. Exceed this, and you’ll be asked to remove a selection.
Interface across desktop, mobile and app
One of the most important criterion for any online bookmaker to meet is to offer a smooth, seamless betting platform. The Coral desktop site provides this. Yes, it appears cluttered at first, but that’s due to the sheer volume of sports and markets it offers.
Navigating around the site is a simple process. It’s easy to find the sports and markets you’re looking for. On the rare occasion you can’t, utilise the Search function found under the Help tab.
Prefer to bet on mobile? The mobile version of the operator site works just as effortlessly. You can access all parts of your betting account using the browser on your smartphone or tablet.
You can also download the dedicated Coral betting app. The Coral app is available on iOS, Android and Windows phones.
In-play betting and live streaming
Most UK bookmakers recognise the importance of offering a dedicated, comprehensive in-play betting service. There are few, however, who can match the depth of what Coral provides.
Included in its extensive menu of live betting are the following:
- Football
- Tennis
- Golf
- Volleyball
- Ice hockey
- Snooker
- Rugby
- American football
- Baseball
- Basketball
- esports
In addition to its superb in-play betting facility, Coral also provides a live-streaming service. Streams are offered on selected sports and events, including football, tennis, basketball and horse racing.
The terms and conditions to access a stream can vary, depending on which sport you’re looking to watch. To access a horse racing stream, customers need to place at least £1 on that particular race. For other streams, all that is required is a funded Coral account.
Live streams are available across desktop, mobile and app platforms.
Payment options
When you’re deciding whether to sign up to an online bookmaker, there are many aspects to consider. Range of markets, sports coverage and competitive odds are the usual things punters look out for.
Equally important, though, is the range and quality of available payment methods. How can you deposit? Are there any withdrawal fees? How long does it take to receive winnings?
These questions are often overlooked, but are vital to your overall user experience. Coral offer a fantastic range of payment options. The most commonly used deposit and withdrawal methods are displayed in the table below. Note that there are no fees attached to any method, but it’s best to check with your financial provider if any charges will be made by them.
The payment methods available at Coral are standard in the UK. Where Coral stands out from many of its competitors is the option to deposit and withdraw to and from your online account from one of their land-based sportsbooks. This is Coral Connect. For your nearest Coral shop, head to the Store Locator on the operator site.
Licensing information
The safety and security of your online account is vital to a trusted betting experience. Coral provides exactly this, so you can transfer funds to and from your betting experience without worry.
Coral is licensed and regulated by the British Gambling Commission. For customers outside the United Kingdom, the Government of Gibraltar licenses this operator. Coral is regulated by the Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner.
As we touched upon earlier, Coral employs the Know Your Customer scheme. This is to protect their members and to ensure that all customers are aged 18 and above.
Customer service
From time to time, you might need a little help with your account. If you experience any issues at Coral, there are a number of ways in which to resolve them.
Use the Contact Us tab to access customer support. Live chat is available 24 hours a day, and is generally the quickest way in which to get a problem rectified. Alternatively, you can call or email the customer service team.
If you’re a Twitter user, you can use the Chat With Us service available from @coralhelp. Waiting times can vary, depending on how busy the team is. Generally, you should receive a reply within the day.
It’s also worth checking out the topics under the Help tab. Here, you’ll find a range of articles covering everything from banking queries to technical support.
Summary
We’ve spoken very highly of what Coral has to offer and with good reason. It’s certainly a contender for one of the top bookmakers in the UK. Is the company perfect? Of course not. We’d like to see more options for quicker payouts, and a more financially rewarding welcome bonus would be a good idea too.
Still, if you’re looking for a bookmaker that can offer a variety of sports to bet on, Coral is an excellent choice.