Established in 1926, Coral is one of the oldest names in the sports booking business in the United Kingdom , and no doubt in the entire world. In 1999, Coral merged with Eurobet, another big name in the sports betting industry in Europe , and it became a subsidiary of the Coral Eurobet Holdings Limited. The Gala Group, a bingo and gaming giant in the United Kingdom , later acquired the company in October 2005.

Aside from being among the oldest names in sports betting, Coral is also one of the fastest growing. Within the last three years, it has expanded its physical operations from 860 to 1,400 stores; currently, it has 1,500 stores all over the United Kingdom . It also owns two greyhound racing tracks. The Coral Eclipse Stakes, which is Coral's flagship racing sponsorship, is the oldest and the longest running sponsorships in Europe .

Types of Bets Taken

Whatever sports events are popular in the United Kingdom are covered by Coral. These sports events include greyhound racing, sports racing, soccer, cricket, darts, golf, rugby and snooker. For avid fans of American sports, wagers on American sporting events like tennis, boxing, athletics, cycling and motor racing can also be made. Punters can also bet on politics, TV specials and music specials, as well as on novelty events like whether or not it is going to snow on Christmas day. Single bets, accumulators and permutations are taken.

Coral's sports booking operations are done through their physical offices, through telephone, through WAP and through their sports booking website. The website is clean, neat, easy to load, easy to navigate, and chock-full of clear information about sports betting and sports booking.

Residents of the United States and of Italy cannot avail of Coral's sports booking services. Coral, however, has a presence in Italy through Eurobet's Italian sports booking website.

Bonus Listing

Coral does not offer any signup or reloading bonuses for its clients. However, it does occasionally offer to match up the initial deposits of their customers up to £10. The free bet can never be withdrawn as cash, however, and sometimes, Coral insists that the client use their own money first before using the free bet credit.

Security and Customer Service

Coral uses the latest and the most state-of-the-art encryption technology to keep its sports booking website secure for their customers. Customers are allowed to assign their own usernames and passwords, as well as their own personal identification numbers for when making monetary transactions with Coral.

Customer service and support is available 24 hours a day through telephone, email and the website's e-messaging facility. Coral's customer service representatives are reputed to be courteous, efficient and swift in dealing with the clients' concerns.

Payment Methods

Coral accepts deposits made through Visa credit cards, debit cards, Western Union , and bank transfers. Deposits made through Firepay, Moneybookers and NETeller are also accepted. Withdrawals can be made the same means. Minimum deposit is £5 while the minimum single bet is £1. Requests for withdrawals are reasonably quick, taking only around two to ten days to process after receipt of the request.