Coral Island Amusement Arcade Blackpool

Coral Island is one of the UK’s largest and most iconic seaside entertainment attractions. Located on the Blackpool Promenade close to the Blackpool Tower, this pirate-themed amusement arcade is a powerhouse of beachside fun and excitement. Renowned for its lively atmosphere, immersive interior design and range of amenities, Coral Island is open all hours and caters to all ages. 

The outside of the venue boasts a great range of external shops and kiosks offering food and drinks options to pedestrians and passers-by. These include fish and chips, ice cream parlours, seaside stick of rock shops, doughnuts and fast food.

There are eight entrances to Coral Island with some opening into full-service restaurants with seating and these include Captain Jacks Bar & Grill, Peggy's Family Snack Bar and The Buccaneer Family Bar & Restaurant. There is also a separate entrance into the Coral Island Casino (mentioned below).

Coral Island arcade goes above and beyond most regular seafront amusements, not only with the theme-park level décor, but by also having amusement park rides inside such as the Pirate Flyer monorail that gives unique views of the venue and great photo opportunities. There is also a very large camel derby game and a Ghost Train taking takes visitors on an exciting ruby-spotting adventure.

A recent addition to the amusement park is the Sky Rider, which is a pirate ship style ride, perfect for the entire family to enjoy together. All of the rides have tickets available to purchase on the Coral Island app, which offers patrons exclusive member offers and a loyalty programme.

Arcade Entrance

Coral Island Amusements is monstrous standalone venue with so many entrances that it can be disorientating at times to know exactly where you are in the venue. If you get lost or confused there are plenty of friendly staff on hand to help guide visitors and help find the desired location. 

If in doubt, pick up a handy leaflet or look out for a wall display, where patrons can orient using this handy treasure map:

Entering the building from the Promenade entrance, visitors will walk under the marvellous pirate skull and crossbones signage display that adorns the upper part of the building above the entrance way. Heading inside, patrons will take a long pathway that snakes through various attractions including the large camel derby racing track on the left and the Traditional Chippy and Family Buccaneer Restaurant on the right. 

The venue opens up into a huge family arcade area on the lower floor and there is an equally sized area on the upper floor. There is a huge range of ticket arcade games and family amusements on both levels and the prize shop can be found on the lower floor. 

Before we dive into our run-down of the arcade games, it is worth noting that it can get busy at Coral Island during peak times, especially on weekends or during the summer holidays. Fear not, the venue is very large and can accommodate a vast number of people. If it does start getting too busy in one section, simply move to another area. There are so many games to play and things to explore that it would be hard to see all the attractions in one day. 

Coin Pushers

Coral Island amusements has a huge range of fully stocked coin pushers and they can be found throughout the venue. With the arcade having a heavy emphasis on ticket redemption, all of the coin pushers are of the modern style - all paying out ticket wins. 

With the high volume of use, players can easily find great opportunities to knock over mountains of tuppennys and win low hanging fruit in the form of shelf prizes that are close to falling off the edge. Players can win toys and teddies, sweets and lollies, reels of tickets and a nice selection of keychains or mini plush keychains.

Examples of modern (three reel) coin pushers that (pay out ticket wins) can be found at Coral Island include Monopoly, Pac-Man, Tom & Jerry, Busy Bees, Jurassic Park, Minions, Beach Ball and Butterfly. An interesting coin pusher we noticed was a 10 player rectangle cabinet called Surf Side, which has a lovely upper display and also pays out ticket wins.

Among the latest coin pushers with upper feature boards – fans can enjoy Monopoly Gold, Justice League (wheel spinner) Jurassic Park (wheel spinner), Snakes and Ladders, Haunted House, Pharaohs Golden Tickets, Space Invaders (wheel spinner) and Temple of Tickets. Here players can win big wads of tickets through skilful luck. 

Note that there isn’t just one of each machine either, players can find multiples of each type of coin pusher, all around this behemoth of a venue. There are also tons of change machines strategically placed wherever there are coin pushers and also several ATM machines (with a fee of just £1). 

Crane Claw Machines

Many of the walkways in Coral Island are lined with rows of claw machines and they have many different variations though the majority being Coral Island branded Elaut E-Claw machines. At our time of visiting, the claw grabbers were thirty pence per play or four plays for a pound. Visitors have the choice to pay with coins or use the Coral Island Play Card, which players can load money onto for convenience. 

The Coral Island Play Card is also available on the Coral Island app (or Apple/Google Wallet) and there is usually free play or free credit incentives to go cashless, so always check the website and/or app before visiting. Here are the Coral Island Play Cards FAQs.

Not only does Coral Island provide claw players convenience and value, but there is also a brilliant range of plush prizes, soft toys and teddies to be won. Patrons can play to win on claw grabbers with officially licenced / branded plushies including the famous Steven the Seagull, flying unicorns and many different Disney characters such as Lilo & Stitch, Winnie the Pooh and Finding Nemo. There are also other popular characters including Garfield and Friends, Spellbound, Gremlins, Turtles and the full line up of Mario All Stars characters.

Other types of crane / claw machines include the popular ‘Cool Boy’ machine which is a four-player grabber where players scoop up wads of sweets and lollies, perfect to keep them occupied. There are also some smaller claw machines called Windmill Cut and also a larger Skill Cut, where the object of the game is to cut a string to win a prize or reams of tickets.

Some aesthetically pleasing claw machines can be found dotted around the entrances and these include the four-player Toy Box cubes that are styled like a giant present with a bow. Here players can win miniature plush prizes and other great toys.

On the lower ground level there is also a Cosmic XL which is a giant claw machine that is a hybrid claw grabber with a bonus wheel spinner game. So, if players don’t end up winning a plush prize, they might just 'spin-a-big-ticket-win' from the jackpot wheel.

Classic Arcade Games 

The Coral Island entertainment complex has no shortage of exciting classic arcade games. These come in all shapes and sizes to suit all playing styles and age groups. 

On the upper level there are several Sonic Allstars air hockey tables and these take coins and also the Coral Island Play Card. There is also a great selection of arcade racing machines, which includes an impressive eight screen Fast & Furious racing array with immersive driving experience. 

There are also Mario Kart DX machines for those who like to race and throw bananas, Storm Chaser, Storm Rider and Moto GP ride-on games for motorbike fans. Tiny Dancers will be kept amused for hours with the selection of Dance machines available and also become an entertaining view for the passengers of the Pirate Flyer monorail that glides directly above.

Fans of arcade shooting games will also enjoy the upper family area with classics such as Aliens Armageddon, Halo Fireteam Raven, Jurassic Park Arcade, Walking Dead (Raw Thrills) and Mission Impossible.

No classic arcade venue would be complete without having a Zoltar 'Speaks' Fortune Teller machine. This classic arcade machine was made famous from the hit movie ‘Big’ starring Tom Hanks. See if you can explore the venue and find Zoltar to discover your fortune for the years ahead. 

Fairground Games

The biggest piece of fairground style excitement at Coral Island is (of course) the Camel Derby Game. The aim of the game is to get balls into holes on the game board. The more balls players get in holes the closer the camel will move to the finish line. Some holes are more difficult to target than others and the camel will move a little quicker or further depending on volume and choice of holes players can aim balls into.

These types of game have been popular across British seaside resorts and entertainment venues since the 1920s. This fun game offers a thrilling steeplechase that can be played by all members of the family. The Coral Island Camel Derby is world-leading and can accommodate a whooping 19 players!

Patrons can see the great range of plush prizes available to winners hanging from the ceiling and displayed across the playing arena. The other great aspect of the game is that there is a live compere on hand throughout the day to commentate on the race and drum up excitement in the crowds. 

Just past the Camel Derby is the prize shop where players can go to exchange their ticket wins for a huge selection of great prizes. With several staff members on hand at all times, players can use the ‘ticket eater’ machines next to the shop to tally their ticket totals and print out a tickets receipts to be scanned by staff to exchange for a great prize. 

There are toys, collectables, miniature figurines, sweets and lollies, teddy bears and plush toys and even light up LED wands and headgear for kids to show off on the Promenade with the nightly illuminations.  When we attended there was also a 50% off ticket prize sale with a big window of excellent prizes, which had all been heavily discounted to make them even easier to win! Discounted prizes included skateboards, kids ride-on toys and electrical gadgets. 

Fairground Arcade Machines

There are fairground style ticket arcade games on the upper and lower floors, with many being found close to the prize shop on the lower floor.

Here, players can enjoy a great selection of luck and skill games including Lane Masterm, Bowling Champ and Pac-Man ‘Rolling with the Ghosties’ which are all two-player skee-ball games that pay out ticket wins. Fans of basketball arcade games will love the Sonic Allstars, Pan-Man Baller and Connect 4 Hoops arcade games that pit players against one another to compete for high scores or smash records for ticket wins. 

Keen eyes will also spot the two Pac-Man Pellets arcade games, which also require skilful aiming to throw balls into moving Pac-Man characters to trigger a digital prize board that drops balls onto prizes to win big ticket bonuses. 

Fairground fans will enjoy the two-player Down the Clown games, which are very close in design to the traditional versions found at the fun fair. Nearby is also a two-player Nerf Arcade game, where players can use aiming skill to shoot virtual targets to smash point records to win big ticket prizes. 

On the upper level there are even more great fairground style machines, including an impressive row of seven Sonic Allstars basketball ticket machines, perfect for big groups of friends to play together. Next to these are more Down the Clown machines where players can win a ticket bonus of 500 tickets.

A unique and interesting machine that is on both the upper and lower floors is called Lucky Ducks Racing. This is a modern makeover of the original Derby Horse Racing game where players have to bet on racing ducks to multiply their stake and in this case win back ticket prizes. With slick graphics and a theme tune noticeably similar to 'Duck Tales', this arcade duck racer will appeal to young children and parents alike. Players can insert coins or use their Coral Island Play Cards on this one. 

If you want to experience a Camel Racer style game in a less busy environment then check out ‘Derby Day’. This is a modern “Horse Derby” much like the bigger live action Camel Racer. Accomodating up-to four-players, it has the same aim to roll balls into target holes, with ticket redemption instead of mechanical camels and plush prizes. The horses are cartoonish like the Lucky Ducks and are set on a large digital display for immersive action.  

Big Arcade Machines

There are big arcade machines throughout the venue and some we have mentioned already. On the lower floor level players can enjoy Pearl Fishery, which is a ball pusher hybrid ticket redemption machine. Music maestros will love Piano Keys, which is a fun game of follow the light-up notes and sounds to playback and win ticket prizes. Arcade racing fans will enjoy the Bump ‘n’ Smash game, where up-to four players can play at once, competing to stay on a track similar to Mario Kart. 

On the upper floor there are four large Dinosaur Era games where up-to four players can play simultaneously, shooting dinosaurs from big canons to beat high scores and earn ticket wins. Similar to Dinosaur Era is a game called Zombie Splash where players spray real water canons at targets in an attempt to halt the advancing zombie apocalypse. 

Ticket Slot Machines

Coral Island Amusements has a great range of ticket slot machines. These are dotted all around the venue. In the lower gaming area, players can enjoy a four-player sit-down Wacky Races slot machine with upper feature board for big ticket jackpots. There is also a similar four-player sit-down Ticket (tomb) Raider ticket slot machine, and both of these ticket slots take coins or Play Cards and pay out ticket wins. 

On the upper level there are even more ticket slot machines, and these can all be found in the family friendly areas of the amusement centre. There are triple ticket slots including Aladdin and Dracula also accepting both coins and Play Cards. Close to the Bank Hey Street entrance there are also several more ticket slots and these include several Pieces of Eight triple slot machines, which are very appropriate for a pirate-themed venue!

Fans of ticket slots may also enjoy the Skill Ball area on the upper floor which is packed full of different Skill Ball machines including Skill Ball Deluxe, Zingy 1 & 2 and Pac-Man Skill Ball. With a top prize of £50, Skill Ball is perfect for those with quick draw gaming skills who enjoy bingo style games.

Coral Island Slots Areas

Coral Island has three separate areas for adult casino slots players to enjoy. There is the Island Slots gaming area, Admirals Lounge gaming area and the Coral Island Casino (which is a fully licenced casino). 

Island Slots

This is the largest over eighteens section on the upper floor and here players can enjoy rows and rows of the latest digital casino slot machines. Coral Island proports this to be the largest casino gaming area in Blackpool and it certainly is impressive in its size. 

Here players can enjoy rows upon rows of the newest Blueprint digital gaming terminals offering the latest games to play including Monopoly Super Wheel Bonus, Gates of Camelot and Eye of Horus Tablets of Destiny. There are jackpots ranging from £25 to £100 to £500, with many different denominations and ways to play.

There are gaming attendants in this area that can help players with requests and there is a small bar service area serving drinks and refreshments. Players can also find several ATMs around this area to help keep the fun going and also some mechanical fruit machines and standalone slots.

The Island Slots area also boasts a large modern cash bingo section, which provides all the fun and excitement of traditional arcade prize bingo in a modern setting with modern cash prizes! These are set out in circular tables of five so that families can all play at once and enjoy the excitement together. This section is also served by the attendants so feel free to relax!

Admirals Lounge

Whilst the Island Slots area is confidently spacious and lofty. The Admirals Lounge gaming area offers a more cosy and intimate feel. It is set in the galley library of a pirate ship, with bookshelves and pirate-themed décor with lower ceilings and private spaces. 

Entering the Admirals Lounge from the Bank Hey Street entrance, there is a small foyer where patrons are greeted by some fantastic seaside arcade memorabilia in the form of several cowboy style models holding vintage penny slot machines, which is very interesting to see. 

The foyer then opens up into a large galley with several rows of the latest £500 jackpot slots from Blueprint gaming. There are sub-sections and library nooks here that give players privacy in a cosy setting. There are lots of different slots here with a variety of jackpots and denominations including £25 and £100. 

Continuing down the galley of the Admirals Lounge the digital machines start to merge with mechanical slots and fruit machines and there is a great selection of £100 jackpot pub style fruit machines and also some nice triple slots too. 

On the outer section of the Admirals Lounge there are some fenced areas (where the adult area meets the wider amusement arcade). Here players can find a nice little range of £5 jackpot fruit machine triples.

Coral Island Casino 

The Coral Island Casino is fully licenced meaning it is on a par with the other two large Blackpool casinos. There is a great range of tables including Blackjack, Roulette and Poker. They are open early in the morning until very late with a dedicated entrance on New Bonny opening for players when the rest of the amusement park closes. 

There is also a Sports Book and relaxing bar area with comfy chairs, high end décor and a fully stocked bar. They also served food, and orders can be made from attendants. They also have several digital roulette machines, for those who love the excitement of the game, though prefer to play by themselves or with friends. 

The Casino also boasts around 20 high-roller slot machines. There are many different types with some being of the digital terminal variety and some having standalone games. These casino machines have huge jackpots with many surpassing ten thousand pounds. The Coral Island Casino website is completely separate to the arcade and has it's own promotions and loyalty program.

Venue Verdict

With it's huge range of amenities, creative theming and immersive design, Coral Island could quite possibly be the UK’s number one arcade venue. Providing backdrops like a movie set, it is certainly on the level of Alton Towers or Disneyland in terms of the way it looks and how it provides visitors with the exciting feeling of being in a real-life pirate adventure. 

Coral Island has an extensive social media presence, website and loyalty app allowing visitors to become familiar with and get excited about trips and holidays long before even arriving. Patrons can seek out seasonal promotions and learn about offers for rides and dining, making it much easier to plan an unforgettable day.

Visitors should make Coral Island the centrepiece of any holiday or trip to Blackpool as it offers exhilarating fun and excitement in all seasons. Take a break from the Sun or the rain during the day, or enjoy the bright lights at night - Coral Island is a world class amusement arcade. 

Featured Machine: Camel Derby Game