Introduction
Although the emergence of bet365 and Paddy Power make it a less accurate statement, are still referred to as being part of the 'Big Three' bookmakers along with Ladbrokes and William Hill. It might have something to do with their large high street presence in the UK, with Gala Coral (the company trading name) operating over 1,600 licensed betting ships up and down the country. In addition to Coral , the company also run Eurobet.com for international clients, although UK customers can open accounts with both.
Coral have been online since 1997 and were acquired by the Gala Group in 2005. They were originally founded in 1926 and evolved in the same way as Hills and Ladbrokes, namely by opening more shops, then launching a telephone betting operation before finally launching the website and going live with sportsbook and a range of gaming products.
Brand
The Coral brand is mainly associated with horse and greyhound racing, due to the high street presence in the UK. With regard to the dogs, the company own the Romford and Hove stadiums and it's a sport where they seem to have the edge over most other bookmakers. This is a well-respected name in the industry and they have recently tried to broaden their appeal to football punters with Jeff Stelling offering weekend tips. They also sponsor races such as the Coral Eclipse, Coral Welsh National and Coral Scottish Grand National.
Website
There's plenty to like about the Coral website, which seems to have improved every time we visit. The homepage is packed with information and there's possibly too much going on and a lack of focus. A rotating graphic near the centre rotates to display top offers across all products and upcoming sports events, with more sporting highlights listed with accompanying thumbnails underneath. In a corresponding column, there are a list of Next 5 Races, Next 5 Sports Events and Top 5 Bets which can't possibly reflect overall popularity.
Navigation is a little fiddly, with one needing to hover the mouse over 'All Events' in a horizontal menu to view the available sports being offered. Several sports in the menu then have more multiple choices attached to them, although clicking on any will load the relevant page. The lay-out of markets and odds is impressive, with the colour scheme of the website meaning that the selections and prices are clear. The betting slip functionality is fine, although you have to manually add your pick to the slip rather than it automatically populate it.
Free Bets
A £10 free matched bet is available for all new customers.
Odds
Coral are arguably the industry leader when it comes to pricing up horse races. They not only provide a wide range of early prices on various meetings in the UK and Ireland, but they often hold a particular price in the shops until a set time. This proves that they have some astute traders working for them and they are the only ones of the Big Three who haven't relocated to Gibraltar so you are 'betting British' with these guys.
Compared to Laddies and Hills, you will also see Coral taking on more of the favourites in the football, cricket and tennis. Expect them to regularly offer 4/7 when others are going 1/2, while they often dominate the best odds landscape as far as First Goalscorer is concerned. Talking of which, they are yet another bookmaker who now offers Best Odds Guaranteed on all UK and Irish racing.
Markets
When selecting a match coupon for football, you could be forgiven for thinking that Coral offer a limited number of markets for the top games. However, by clicking on 'Show All', you get a full hit of available odds, which includes an imaginative list of match specials. It's not the widest range of markets available, but it's a solid offering.
There's also a decent service for customers wanting to bet on US sports, with a section of the site devoted to a mixture of NBA, NFL and NHL. Many might also be interested in the Winning Distance and Multi Trap betting on greyhounds, with rugby union also getting some good coverage as Coral are a big sponsor in this sport.
Promotions
While Best Odds Guaranteed should be applauded, it's the same as all the other big guns in the UK. However, one promotion that uniquely belongs to Coral is their 10% cashback offer which applies to sportsbook and gaming. Providing you register with them for this promotion, then you will receive 10% of any losses incurred on a monthly basis.
Coral also offer something called Enhanced Odds Multiples, where they will quote a big price on a particular double or treble. It usually involves the favourites in a football match so if you are about to place a multiple bet, it is well worth checking this site first. The company also have some top-notch gaming products, with £50 in free chips currently available at the live casino.
Customer Service
A nice straightforward help section on the Coral website, where you can either send a external email or an e-message through your account. Telephone support is also available, but not 24/7 which is a little surprising considering that most top bookies have this available. 7am - 11pm are the opening hours.
Register with Coral for...
- Lots of early prices on horse racing
- A nice clean user-friendly website bursting with information
- 10% cashback on losing bets
- An account with one of the most established and trusted brand names out there
- A bookmaker who is more prepared than others to offer good prices on favourites
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