Coral is one of the oldest betting brands in the UK, formed back in 1926.
And with such a prestigious history in the industry, you perhaps want to give this old-school bookie a go.
In this review, we’ll help you decide if Coral is right for you by showing you our firsthand experience with the platform.
We'll outline the most significant advantages and disadvantages as well as assess its unique features and user-friendliness, so you can decide for yourself whether or not this old-school bookie is right for your goals.
Ahead in this Coral review, we’ll assess the platform’s main features on a qualitative points-based scale.
These points are then converted to star ratings.
For more information on how we test view here.
Overall Rating – 4 stars
Coral has 4 stars overall. Based on an overall score of 75 and an average of 83%.
Coral is a very solid and reliable UK betting platform.
The Coral app has a safe and secure betting environment for sports bettors, strong pre-match wagering and great customer service.
App covers major sports pretty well, but its rivals have options for more obscure leagues.
Enhancing their website’s usability through a more seamless UI and additional features would also improve the user experience for the existing user base.
That said, the minor drawbacks of Funbet hardly take away from a superb experience characterised by strengths in fundamental aspects like security, betting markets and customer service.
For any UK bettor looking for a trustworthy, high performing platform that ticks off all the basics and then some, we’d happily recommend Coral!
Its reliable nature, easy navigation, competitive odds, and excellent service make it a frontrunner in the industry.
Here’s a breakdown of how Coral performed:
Category | Points | Star Rating |
|---|---|---|
Safety | 10 | 5 stars |
Mobile betting app | 8 | 4 stars |
Website | 7 | 3.5 stars |
Deposits & withdrawals | 8 | 4 stars |
Markets | 8 | 4 stars |
Pre-match betting | 10 | 5 stars |
In-play betting | 8 | 4 stars |
Welcome incentive | 8 | 4 stars |
Customer service | 8 | 4 stars |
Here’s a rundown of the overall pros and cons of Coral:
Pros
Renowned and reputable, established in 1926
Licensed with stringent security measures
Comprehensive pre-match betting and excellent customer service
User-friendly interface
Diverse payment options with low fees
Adequate coverage of major sports
Cons
Limited selection in niche sports
Basic website design
No cryptocurrency transactions
Some withdrawal methods are slow
Safety – 5 stars
When it comes to placing bets online, UK bettors can rest assured that Coral is a trusted online gambling site.
You’ll have peace of mind in knowing that your information and transactions are safe and secure.
Licences
Coral holds licences with the UK Gambling Commission and the Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner.
These tough licensing authorities ensure that Coral is complying with all the regulations regarding safety, security, and responsible gambling.
As a licensed operator, Coral is subject to periodic audits to ensure its compliance with the rules.
Security
From a security perspective, Coral employs solid encryption technology and state-of-the-art firewalls to protect its user data and financial information.
User passwords are stored securely, hashed, and sensitive data is communicated via encryption via SSL technology.
Coral provides secure payment options and conducts KYC checks to ensure fraud prevention and user identity verification.
Track Record
With nearly one hundred years of experience as a major UK betting operator, you can trust that Coral has been around the block a few times.
Its long-standing presence on UK high streets and more recently as a popular online UK betting site demonstrate Coral’s trustworthiness.
Pros
Long-established UK betting operator since 1926
Strict licensing from the UKGC and Gibraltar
Robust data protection and encryption
Cons
None
Mobile Betting App – 4 stars
With one of the biggest names in UK betting, we were keen to get stuck in and try out Coral’s sportsbook mobile app.
With its long history and huge high-street presence we anticipated a slick user experience, and largely the app delivers.
Look and Feel
The Coral mobile app instantly evokes the brand’s signature blue colour scheme.
Menus are clean and minimalistic, and main sports and promotions are easy to find.
There's no mess, and the app is quick and fluid, even when live betting.
Account management and deposit/withdrawal links are easy to find.
While the design is short on visual flair compared to flashier competitors, the no-fuss approach means that finding events and odds is straightforward.
It doesn’t look pretty, but the accompanying app puts usage over appearance.
Making a Bet
Placing bets is easy.
On each event, you see the relevant odds, and on the bet slip sidebar, you can customize your type and amount of bet.
And you can build multiples and cash out early, too.
User Experience
In terms of features, usability, the Coral app ticks these boxes hands down.
as well as a huge range of sports and betting markets, including live streaming, cash out features, promotions, easy account management and more.
We also like the small quality-of-life features like fast bet placement and Touch ID login.
Check out our roundup of the best betting apps in the UK to see how Coral compares.
Pros
Intuitive, rapid navigation
Prominent odds and markets
Slick bet placement
Solid in-play performance
Cons
Basic aesthetics
Website – 3.5 stars
Coral’s site provides a seamless user experience for sports bettors.
The interface achieves a perfect blend between the deep marketplace and user-friendliness.
While not having all the features competitors have, Coral delivers a good foundation.
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Look and Feel
The Coral site features a contemporary, minimalist design in blue and white colors.
Menus and links are well signposted, so moving between different sports and markets is smooth.
Live betting opportunities are immediately noticeable.
The design scales well across desktop and mobile.
Promotional banners appear infrequently enough to add some color without feeling intrusive.
While functional, the site lacks some personality compared to flashier competitors.
The colour scheme and fonts are fairly generic.
More graphics about current advertising campaigns are needed to make the site more engaging.
User Experience
Placing your pre-match or live bets is seamless and hassle-free at Coral.
Markets load quickly, without jumping up and down or getting stuck.
The bet slip interface is intuitive, allowing punters to enter stakes and combine selections with ease.
It only takes a few minutes to register.
However, the lack of a search function is a major annoyance.
With such a high number of markets for a range of sports, trying to manually find less mainstream leagues or exotic prop bets can become a hassle.
The site also lacks some of the customisation options that other bookies do.
Pros
Fast loading times
Easy-to-navigate interface
Prominent live betting section
Mobile-friendly responsive design
Cons
Generic look and feel
No search bar functionality
Lack of personalisation options
Deposits and Withdrawals – 4 stars
Coral Sports Betting provides a secure and efficient system for managing funds, ensuring that UK users can deposit and withdraw with ease and confidence.
Deposits
Coral facilitates a range of deposit options:
Debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Maestro)
E-wallets (PayPal, NETELLER)
Paysafecard
Bank Transfer (withdrawals only)
Coral Connect
For debit cards, the minimum deposit is £5, and the maximum is £20,000. E-wallet users must deposit at least £10, with NETELLER imposing a 2.5% fee.
Paysafecard has a minimum deposit of £5 and a maximum of £770, but it cannot be used for withdrawals.
Coral Connect offers instant fund access with a minimum deposit of £5.
Unfortunately, Coral does not accept cryptocurrency transactions.
Making a Deposit
Select the ‘Deposit’ icon on the homepage
Choose your preferred deposit method
Enter the amount and confirm the transaction
Funds are credited instantly to your Coral account
Withdrawals
Withdrawals to debit cards take three to five banking days, but Visa Fast Funds can expedite this to within four hours.
The minimum withdrawal is £5.
E-wallet withdrawals are processed within eight hours for PayPal and two to six hours for NETELLER.
The minimum withdrawals are £5 for PayPal and £10 for NETELLER, with a maximum limit of £50,000.
Bank transfers take two to four days to process, with a £5 minimum withdrawal. Coral Connect users enjoy instant withdrawals.
Making a Withdrawal
Navigate to the ‘Withdraw’ section in your account
Select the withdrawal method and amount
Confirm the transaction
Funds will enter the pending stage before being processed
Pros
A wide array of deposit and withdrawal methods
Competitive minimum deposit and withdrawal amounts
Quick processing times for e-wallets
No fees for most transactions
Cons
No cryptocurrency options
Some withdrawal methods have longer processing times
Markets – 4 stars
Coral offers betting on a variety of major and minor sports.
However, they lack some of the more obscure leagues and more niche sports that you can find at other UK bookmakers.
So depth in non-mainstream sports should develop while breadth is positive.
Sports
Football takes centre stage in terms of the sheer volume of markets, as is the case with most bookmakers.
All major European leagues are covered in depth, with a huge selection of game, player and novelty prop bets available.
Tennis, horse racing, golf, cricket and rugby also see plenty of markets.
While the major sports are more than adequately paid attention to, there is still some room for improvement in covering the more niche competitions.
Smaller football leagues, lower division basketball and baseball don’t get that same kind of attention.
Odds
Coral's odds are generally fairly decent and mostly quite competitive, especially when it comes to UK and Irish sports like football, horse racing, and rugby.
Odds will regularly be one of the best prices available.
International sports, such as US leagues, might be slightly weaker relatively, but still strong.
One area where the odds are significantly poorer is on the outright tournament and competition winners pre-event.
Margins appear to be higher on these kinds of longer-term bets.
Pros
Huge range of markets for major sports
Great odds
Innovative bet types and bundles
Cons
Less extensive coverage of niche sports
Pre-event outright odds could be better
Pre-Match Betting – 5 stars
Coral provides an extremely competitive pre-match betting product for UK punters.
With a large selection of markets across dozens of sports and an easy-to-use interface, they have established themselves as a go-to option for pre-game wagers.
Coverage
When it comes to some markets on offer, Coral compares favourably with any UK bookmaker.
They provide pre-match odds for football, horse racing, tennis, cricket and all of the leading sports and throw in the more obscure competitions for good measure.
Within each sport the granularity is immense – bets can be placed on outcomes, totals, spreads, props and more with significant liquidity.
Particular praise must be reserved for the depth of football betting. Leagues from the UK, Europe, and further afield are covered in some detail.
Coral offers sports betting, online bingo, online poker, and gaming services such as online casino, live casino, and online slots.
Bet Builder
A great option offered by Coral is their bet builder tool, which allows you to add selections from the same event into one bet to create a special bet.
Group together numerous football match or horse race results if you've picked many using this option and you'll get a price for the lot calculated automatically.
It's a fast and easy way to create your bet your way.
Pros
An astounding range of pre-match betting markets and sports covered
Great features like the bet builder to customise wagers
Cons
None
In-Play Betting – 4 stars
As a person who enjoys watching sports, I like being able to place bets while a game is in progress.
Coral has a strong in-play betting platform and offers many markets to keep bettors entertained.
Markets
Coral offers in-play markets across dozens of sports.
Popular sports such as football, tennis, cricket, and horse racing attract a plethora of betting opportunities once the action begins.
For football matches, these live markets include match odds, next goalscorer, corners, cards, and more.
Other markets may also have cash-out options available, which means you can lock in a profit or cut a loss before the final whistle.
While Coral's in-play offering is mainly made up of mainstream sports, it also caters for niche competitions.
From table tennis to MMA and esports, you’ll find plenty of markets with changing odds that mirror the action as it happens.
Live streaming also works well with the in-play offering of several sports.
Bet & Watch
Coral offers thousands of live streams for in-play events weekly.
While most streaming is otherwise strictly tennis, football, basketball and other hallmarks, that's not to say you can't watch cricket, snooker, darts and other sports as they unfold alongside your wagers.
Picture quality ranges from HD to more grainy feeds depending on the sport and league.
Streams are embedded directly into the in-play interface, letting you watch events, review up-to-date stats, and place bets without needing to keep switching between screens.
This makes for a seamless user experience. In-play betting depends to a large extent on what’s happening during a live event.
Coral provides you with the information needed to make a winning decision mid-match.
Beyond watching the live streams, you can also follow detailed stats and scores right next to the available markets.
Data includes: summaries of possession, goal attempts, corner kicks, number of cards given, percentages of service (in tennis), etc.
Being able to have key numbers and metrics refresh in real time means you can see trends and capitalise on live betting opportunities as the action unfolds.
Pros
Huge variety of in-play markets across dozens of sports
Live streaming is available for popular events
Cash-out option on certain markets
Real-time match stats and scoring
Cons
Less time for pre-match research and analysis
Welcome Incentive – 4 stars
Coral offers an effective welcome bonus for new UK customers in the form of a £20 free bet credited as 4x £5 free bets.
This incentive helps ease players into Coral’s platform.
2025 Bonus
The welcome bonus allows new UK customers to claim a £20 free bet when they place their first £5 bet.
To qualify, the first bet must be placed at minimum odds of 1/2 (1.50) within 14 days of opening the account.
The £20 free bet will then be credited to the player’s account as four £5 free bets valid for 7 days.
How to Redeem
To redeem the welcome bonus, new customers simply need to:
Join Coral and opt in to the bonus
Place a £5 bet at minimum 1/2 odds within 14 days
Receive 4x £5 free bets in your account
Comparative Offers
Compared to other UK bookmakers, Coral’s welcome bonus stands out for its simplicity and effectiveness.
While some operators offer higher headline bonus amounts, Coral’s offer is clear, achievable, and provides a 400% boost on a new customer’s first real-money bet.
Pros
Generous 400% bonus on first bet
Credited as 4x £5 free bets
Easy-to-understand terms
Cons
Short 7-day expiry on free bets
Customer Service – 4 stars
Coral users have several ways to get help with any issues that may arise.
Their support channels provide ready access to pleasant and helpful agents.
Live Chat and Facebook
Through the live chat feature on Coral’s site, users can get in touch directly with support staff for help in real-time.
Most questions are answered in seconds.
Although the live chat option itself isn’t available 24/7.
Their Facebook group also answers messages quickly.
Coral’s Twitter support team is frequently active, helping users.
They usually solve the matter quickly with helpful information in tweets or direct messages.
For non-urgent questions, Coral’s online form/email support team gets back to customers in 24 hours in most instances.
Once they do, their responses tend to be highly detailed and personalised.
Phone Support
Agents available over the phone are friendly and can resolve most issues immediately.
Low wait times make this channel efficient.
Pros
Quick response times across all channels
Knowledgeable and polite agents
Cons
Occasional busy signals when phoning
Email replies can sometimes take over 24 hours
Final Thoughts
Coral is one of the best sportsbooks for UK bettors, offering historic roots with world-class betting features.
Its robust security measures, wide selection of markets, user-friendly design, and strong customer support make it a trustworthy option for seasoned and novice bettors alike.
While there might be some room for improvement in their coverage of niche sports and the design of their website, these factors are only minor in comparison to the overall betting experience which Coral provides.
We recommend Coral to UK punters looking for a safe, high-performing betting site that knows how to do the basics well.
Its heritage, competitive odds and range of easy-to-use platforms ensure that it remains an industry leader.
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