Coral have been around now for over 80 years now and that tradition and trust plays an important part in deciding who you are going to use for your sports betting. Over the years they have grown significantly and in taking over Eurobet in the 1990’s have expanded to the point where they are one of the biggest global brands around.
Coral were a relatively late entry into the world of online bookmaking and only started their internet presence in 2000. However, they are a number one choice for many new and experienced gamblers alike.
Bonuses
Ts & C’s for BET £5 GET £20:
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.
Coral are currently offering new customers the potential to claim a 400% matched bonus with a maximum free bet of up to £20 at stake. A full list of terms and conditions are available on the company’s official website but essentially, when you open an account and place a £5 opening bet, Coral will reward you with £20 which will be credited when that initial bet is made.
Keep checking the site for any additional offers and promotions for the life of your account.
Once you reach that £25.00 threshold, Coral will reward you with that £5.00 free bet token and you must use it by midnight on the following Sunday.
You must opt in to make use of this promotion and obviously, be sure to check all terms and conditions to make sure you are happy.
Sports Markets/Odds
If you monitor the Odds Comparison Websites then you might argue that Coral are rarely out on their own in terms of the highest price. That might be the case but they are rarely off the pace either and what they do offer is consistently good prices.
In addition they also offer a best odds guarantee system on horse racing markets.
All of the main, popular sports are covered while many minor events are also quoted. The full list reads,
Football, Horse Racing, Greyhound Racing, Boxing, Cricket, Tennis, American Football, Baseball, Basketball, Cycling, Darts, Formula 1, Futsal, Golf, Handball, Ice Hockey, Motorbikes, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Snooker, Speedway, Volleyball.
There is a quick and easy welcome offer promising up to £20.00 in free bets too so how did the sign up process work out?
My Ratings
- Bonus Offer – 9/10
- Games – 8/10
- Support – 7/10
- Banking – 8/10
- Overall Rating – 8
The Welcome Offer
The first comment I would make is that the welcome offer is a little hard to find. Unlike other bookmakers, the sign up deal is not really highlighted when you log on, although there is a link to another offer from the home page – this is a rotating deal relating to enhanced odds on a current event.
To find the £5.00 get £20.00 welcome deal, you have to click on the offers link and it comes up along with a whole host of other promos.
And from here you can check all the relevant terms and conditions.
So it’s not the biggest welcome bonus around but it is very straightforward. Deposit £5.00, make a bet at 1.50 or longer and get 4 x £5.00 free bets straight away. Sounds good to me so from here, it’s on to sign up.
Registration
There is a button marked ‘join’ at the top right hand edge of the home page so obviously this is the place to start if you are going to open an account here. Having clicked, the following part of the procedure will be very familiar.
The really good thing here is that all the information that you need to input is contained in just one page. Name, address and contact details are all held on that first page before moving on to username, password and other security.
This makes this one of the fastest registration procedures around and it took less than 90 seconds to give Coral everything that they needed.
As you may already know, I like a bookie who takes you straight to funding after registration and that’s exactly what happened.
Funding
Coral Funding
There is a good choice of options when you want to make a credit but be aware that using certain e-Wallets will exclude you from the welcome bonus. To be safe therefore, I chose a debit card as this is one of the methods that are definitely accepted.
Input all the usual details and decide how much to deposit – minimum is £5.00. Having done this it did take about 30 seconds for the process to complete but after that I got a confirmation and the new balance was showing in my account.
With money at your disposal, it’s time to make that qualifying bet.
Placing a Bet
As you’d expect from a long-established bookmaker such as this one, there are lots of choices when it comes to making your first bet. It’s relatively easy to find everything too, with popular events listed at the very top left of the home page but then, if you scroll down below the fold, it’s good to see Coral providing a full A-Z.
Betslip
Remember that your first bet has to be at odds of 1.50 or longer in order to qualify for the welcome offer. I had made my mind up on a punt which came in just above that so it was a good option to test things out. From here, the process is like any other – click on your selection and your betslip opens.
Put in the amount you wish to stake and click the big green button to get it all accepted.
So, with my first bet made, did Coral give me my bonuses as promised?
Bonus Bet
Coral say that your 4 x £5.00 free bets will be made available as soon as you make that qualifying bet and I’m happy to say that they did just that. There was no waiting around for the conclusion of my event and as soon as I went back into the markets to make a second punt, it was obvious that the freebies were there.
If you wish to use a freebie at this point, click on the dropdown menu, type £5 into the stake box and you’re done. A really quick and simple process here.
Support
FAQs
Click on the help button and you just get the list of Frequently Asked Questions. I don’t know about anyone else but I don’t really have the patience for these and often I can’t find my answer anyway!
The other options include a Freephone number from the UK which I didn’t use. You can call up Live Chat and there is an e-mail – all of these have proved to be effective but it would be good to see them more prominently displayed.
Conclusion
Trust is important when you sign up with any bookmaker and the fact that Coral celebrated their 90th birthday in 2016 is important. But in this competitive market you need more than just a name and your markets, offers and odds need to be strong.
Overall this was very positive for me: the sign up process was among the quickest so far and it’s great that your free bets appear as soon as your qualifying bet is made. The choice of markets is sound, there are competitive odds and one of the best ranges of ongoing promos around so I’m definitely on board with Coral for the long term!
Banking
Like most bookmakers, Coral have expanded their list of deposit and withdrawal methods in recent years and there should now be enough for every customer. Along with the standard options such as bank transfer, debit card, you can now find a host of e wallet facilities including Ukash, Skrill, Neteller and Paypal.
Customer Service
Clicking the help button takes you to a full list of Frequently Asked Questions and for most enquiries, the answer should be found within these pages. As an alternative, there is either e-mail or telephone support but if you prefer, you can access the 24/7 live chat option.
Conclusion
Coral are a very respected bookmaker with a strong reputation for fair play and that’s very important for any customer. Many improvements have been made to their website in recent months and this is now simple to navigate and to place a bet.
Help options are plentiful and although the welcome bonus may not be the most generous around, it does give you the opportunity to turn £5 into £20 and to land an even bigger profit.
Pros
- Trusted name
- Consistently good odds
- Many sports covered
- Extensive customer service options
- Improved list of deposit and withdrawal facilities
Cons
- Some customers feel that more promotions should be introduced for existing account holders
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