Up until now, the act of betting has cost and been worth whatever you were willing to stake on a particular outcome.
Got a fiver to spend? That’s £5 worth of bets, however you want to divvy it up, be that a single bet of £5, five different £1 bets, or whatever.
Last November though, Coral did something a little bit special, something I have not seen in the industry before. You might say it was pioneering.
They introduced ‘Bet Bundle’ for racing and football betting, to coincide with the World Cup and the Summer racing calendar.
Buying these bet bundles from Coral would give the punter either £5 worth of bets for a £2 up front cost, or £10 worth of bets for a £5 up front cost.
That’s right, these bet bundles give you more betting action than you are actually paying for – sounds great right?
Well it is, but it’s not quite as clear cut as that, there are a few things you should know about them before you dive in.
How do Coral’s Bet Bundles Work?
First thing to understand is that they are only available for horse racing and football, so you can’t buy them for other sports.
Nextly (yeah I just made that word up), in each sport there are two different bet bundle options:
- Classic Bet Bundle
- Premium Bet Bundle
The classic bundles cost £2 and get you £5 worth of bets, and the premium bundles cost you £5 and get you £10 worth of bets – so the £2 one is actually better value because you are getting 150% on your money as opposed to 100% with the £5 bundle.
However, what you need to know about bet bundles is that the bets you are allowed to make with them has been pre-determined, to a point at least.
Here is how it breaks down for classic bundles:
| Bet Size | Bet Type Football | Bet Type Racing |
|---|---|---|
| £1 | Any In-Play Football | Any ITV Race |
| £1 | Any Build Your Bet | Any Ascot Race |
| £1 | Any 4+ ACCA | Any Haydock Race |
| £1 | Any Build Your Bet | Any Horse Racing Special |
| £1 | Any Correct Score | Win Multiple (2+ selections) |
And here is how it breaks down for premium bundles:
| Bet Size | Bet Type Football | Bet Type Racing |
|---|---|---|
| £2 | Any In-Play Football | Any ITV Race |
| £2 | Any Build Your Bet | Any Ascot Race |
| £2 | Any 4+ ACCA | Any Haydock Race |
| £2 | Any Build Your Bet | Any Horse Racing Special |
| £2 | Any Correct Score | Win Multiple (2+ selections) |
So the only real difference between the two packages is the bet size per bet; the actual bets you can make are exactly the same.
The other thing to know is that these bet bundles have a sell by date, so to speak, which means that you must place the bets within the time frame or they will no longer be valid, and you will have spent your money anyway.
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, if your bets win, your stake is not returned. You only get the winnings, just like you would with most free bet offers, so this is partly how Coral can afford to run the promotion.
Nevertheless, it’s a very interesting new concept to the industry that could well develop over the years to come.
Are Bet Bundles a Good Deal?
I would say yes, if you aren’t too fussy about the bets you want to make and are happy with the terms.
They are certainly novel and ‘bundles’ of fun (I know, I hate me too).
Coral will have weighed up the sort of win ratio on the sorts of bets they allow within the promotion, and sure, the other terms such as stake not returned and the bet token (which is what you are technically buying) expiring mean some value is shaved off, but you are still getting more action for your money.
In terms of enjoyment value you are getting more than you are paying for, if that makes sense.
It’s not clear whether this promotion will run indefinitely either, so it might be one of those fun little innovations that pops up to say hello then disappears again, so if you are interested in giving it a go I wouldn’t wait forever.