All-Encompassing Gala Casino Review

With so many different online casinos all vying for your attention these days, it can be difficult to identify which one will be able to best answer your exact needs. To help you make that decision, we’ve done the hard yards to collect all of the most important information on a number of leading operators. In our extensive Gala Casino review, we’ll give you an overview of this operator’s selection of the Gala Casino games and the wide variety of bonus offers and promotions. We’ll also cover our experiences with the mobile gaming options, explain the various payment options and describe the website software in the final section of this page. If you are ready and rearing to play, click straight through to the games on the link below.

First Things First: The Gala Casino Games Library

The first thing to look at when choosing an online casino is its games. This is simply the most important aspect, because if the games you want to play aren’t available, then all of the bonus offers in the world aren’t going to matter at all. With over 390 products to choose from, Gala Casino has one of the smaller libraries around. However, there are plenty of great table games, exhilarating jackpot slots, and some very exciting live and mobile options.

Slots

Much like most any online casino operator in the UK market, slot games account for the majority of the Gala Casino catalogue. There are a few reasons why slot games are so prevalent. It’s partly because of how ubiquitous the slot machines are in land-based casinos, which are the ultimate gateway into the online gambling scene. It’s also because how simple they are to play, but in large part it comes down to the amount of different software developers out there that specialise in slots.

This operator draws its slot game library from over 25 different providers, though the majority come from industry powerhouse, Playtech, which contributes 148 different titles of the 230+ games. There are also 43 products that are exclusive to this casino, which are predominantly from its in-house developer, CR Games, as well as the likes of Scientific Games. It also has a dedicated ‘Macau’ section on the website that only features ‘East Asian-Themed’ titles like Emperor’s Garden, Geisha Story Jackpot and Si Xiang. If you still can’t find what you’re after, check out our slot games page .

Huge Progressive Jackpots

When we talk about progressive jackpot games on the Gala casino website, we can use the adjective ‘huge’ to refer both to the number of games, as well as the cash prizes that are up for grabs. Players after big wins will be more than satisfied with the 71 progressive jackpot slots on the site, including Playtech’s popular Jackpot Giant slot. Tracking the game’s history, this game pays out an average £5 million every three years, with the most recent being in early 2016 (at the time of writing) wherein a librarian from Glasgow took home a nice £4.5 million by playing the game through Gala Casino. Playtech’s Age of the Gods series of jackpot slots are also out in full force, with seven different versions to play, each boasting a substantial cash prize should the jackpot pay out. Players are also privy to Playtech’s licenced DC comic hero slots, with Batman and Superman headlining the Gala casino jackpot slot category.

The Classic Table and Card Game Availability

Each one of the 390+ games on Gala’s catalogue stands out with clear, detailed visuals, compelling audio, and easy-to-use layout. With incredibly intuitive interfaces, the Playtech games are super easy to get to grips with and play. The blackjack and poker tables are particularly good, also for their variety. Interestingly, the Gala Casino table and card games are split into two distinct categories on the website, with roulette, baccarat and craps found in one section and blackjack and poker in another. This is just another strange website layout decision from Gala, which we’ll delve further into below. Regardless, there are a standard amount of options and they are easy enough to find. We particularly appreciate the inclusion of Sic Bo and Craps in the RNG-based games, as these gameplay styles are often only in a casino’s live games library. The fact that you can only find Playtech games is potentially a drawback, as you will find a more diverse range of blackjack, roulette and poker games at other sites.

Bringing the Games to Life

To tie its online casino to the brick and mortar casinos, Gala offers a live 24/7 range of live tables for players to enjoy anytime. The games are streamed via webcam and players can choose from blackjack, baccarat, or roulette, to name a few standard options. There’s an in-game chat feature which enables players to interact with the dealer as they play, adding another layer of engagement to the casino gaming experience. The dealers from the Playtech studios are professional, classy and experienced at their jobs, making light and friendly conversation with players while never taking their mind off the task at hand. The Gala Casino’s live selection covers more than just the standard games, though. You’ll find the live games split into either ‘European’ or ‘Asian’ categories, with the latter offering Chinese-language dealers working the baccarat, roulette and Dragon Tiger tables. We couldn’t seem to find any games in the European section offering languages other than English, though.

All of the Mobile Gaming Options

This operator has made every effort to ensure that no matter which method you prefer to play your casino games, you can do so at Gala Casino. The website is available both online and as a download, and it is a HTML5-based creation, making the site optimised for mobile browser play. This works extremely well, but if you want to download a dedicated app, you can also do so. The Gala Casino mobile app option is available for both iOS and Android devices, ranging from smartphones to tablets as long as they are reasonably new. Not all of the games from the desktop version are available through either the web-based or app versions, but games from developers including Playtech, IGT and NextGen are all on offer.

The Gala Casino App

• 300 mobile casino games
• For iOS and Android devices
• Fits all sizes from smartphone to tablet

Play on Mobile Here!

The web-based browser, unsurprisingly, functions pretty much the same as the desktop version, with the same layout and design. The downloadable apps are also reminiscent of the original, which makes sense when you consider that many players like to switch between their home computer and mobile device depending on their situational availability. There would be no benefit in confusing loyal users with a different design.

Special and Interesting Game Variants

Outside of the standard gameplay styles you’ll find at every casino whether land-based or online, there are a few additional types of game that are starting to become popular online. One of those is the scratch card. Five themed scratch cards are available at Gala Casino, which are essentially a digital version of the exact item you’d buy at your corner shop – but without the gross flaky bits that shed like loose dog hair off the real versions. That being said, the actual scratching action is the most fun part of a scratch card, and considering that these games only have a return to player (RTP) percentage of 93-95.30%, there needs to be something a bit more appealing about these games.

Game Payout Rates and Table Limits

The RTP of a game is a certified number that explains how a game will pay out to players over a long period of time. If the percentage was 100, that would mean that every wager would win, so the closer a game’s RTP is to 100, the better your odds of winning are. Blackjack generally has the highest RTP out of standard casino games, while arcade games and scratch cards are the lowest. Slot games have the widest range within a single category, so it can be well within your best interest to investigate the RTP of a slot game before you begin to play. This information is often found within the game’s help section, as unfortunately Gala Casino overall RTP rates are not published.

When you’re wandering around a land-based casino, you’ll often look to see what the table limits are in order to find a seat that matches your budget. This is also an important consideration for online gambling, as it can be very simple to accidentally wager thousands of pounds more than you meant to, with the simple click of a button. At Gala Casino, the table limits are pretty well spread for both the low stakes and the high, particularly for roulette games which start as low as 10p and go as high as £25,000 for a single spin of the wheel.

Gala Casino Online: The Welcome Bonus in Short

Gala Casino bonus offers are built on a similar ethos to the website itself: giving you choices. Starting with the welcome offer, this operator allows you to select how to spend your bonus money and free spins. However, bear in mind that the wagering requirements will only be fulfilled when playing slots.

Here are the details of the Gala Casino welcome bonus. When you deposit £10, your account will be credited with a £20 bonus and 30 free spins. In order to comply with the conditions of the offer, players need to wager the £10 within 7 days of depositing. Once you receive the bonus, you’ll have another 7 days to complate the wagering requirements of 40x.

Other Bonus Offers Available

There are so many bonus and reward schemes on offer on the site that you’ll struggle to exhaust them all. Gala Casino’s promotions change frequently, so be sure to keep checking out the site regularly to get the best chance of winning. There are currently two interesting bonus offers that you can take advantage of on top of your chosen welcome bonus.

The first is to celebrate the addition of games from developer, Red Tiger, which offers a few exclusive jackpots on Gems Gone Wild and Reel Heist. Second, is the Thursday Casino Cash promotion. This adds a few extra features to a select few blackjack and roulette games, and could be nice if you already intend on playing those games on a Thursday. The important thing to note there is that each bet must be a minimum £5, so if that’s within your budget already, it’s a nice perk.

On Tuesdays, there’s an extra 25% payout and you 50% cash back for your second and third deposits. Additionally, every time you invite a friend to join and they make their first deposit, you’ll get an extra £25 to play in site. Players can also choose whether to accept deals or not, enabling them to gamble without being bothered by additional bonus rules if they so wish. Gala Casino bonus codes, however, are few and far between.

Loyalty and VIP Programs

Oftentimes, an online casino will only offer a welcome bonus to tempt new players into making a new account, then bank on their laziness or assumed loyalty to keep them as customers. However, in line with Gala’s quest to try to please most any type of player with its assorted welcome and weekly bonuses, it also wants to make sure player loyalty is rewarded. It does this both through giving players Comp Points for playing, which can be converted into cash rewards dependent on your VIP level. Speaking of VIP, there is a four-tiered system that offers increasingly generous Comp Point conversion rates as well as additional cashback perks, increased table limits and other exclusive promotions. Of course, your VIP level is dependent on how much money you deposit and wager each month.

There are a lot of different promotions available at the Gala Casino website, which can all be found under the Promotions tab.

Available Payment Methods

Gala Casino accepts EUR, GBP and USD currencies. Transactions to and from the casino are SSL encrypted. Casino players can use debit cards from Visa, Maestro and Mastercard to fund their accounts. Amongst the other options are prepaid vouchers from paysafecard, cheques and bank wire transfers, but the transactions require longer to complete. Whilst there’s no limit to the withdrawal amount, the minimum deposit is £10.

You are required to verify your identify when first withdrawing from Gala Casino, so it is incredibly important to use accurate information when creating your account. All withdrawals are returned to players using the same means as the initial deposit, which you can’t change. Your payment methods must be registered in your name, meaning you can’t use anyone else’s PayPal account or debit cards to add or withdraw funds from your account. If you’re playing on the downloaded version of the casino, there is a ‘quick deposit’ method that you can use to make payments without having to visit the cashier.

Software and Website Usability

Thanks to the excellent Playtech software, Gala Casino’s array of over 300 games looks and sounds great. Gala Casino’s products are also integrated with the downloadable Playtech casino client. Gala also offers browser-based and download versions for the majority of its titles. There are a few annoying and clunky issues with the website though, including the fact that the slots are divided into three categories: Casino, Slots & Games, and Macau. One would think that all of the slot games would be found in the ‘Slots’ section, but that would be incorrect. As a whole, the website is pretty boring, with a black and white colour scheme and nothing interesting to note, especially when compared to the more interesting themes that are coming up these days.

The Gala Casino start page is a good example of the simple and classic layout of the website.

Customer Support

If you have any questions about the casino, your first stop is to find its help section. Struggling? We did too, as the very small, white text and smiley face announcing the help section is in the bottom right-hand corner of the page, super easy to miss. Clicking here will take you to a new page and away from the casino where you can search through a large series of articles explaining many of the most frequently asked questions. If you can’t find the answer you’re looking for, you can email support or attempt to use the live chat, but every time we attempted to make contact through the Live Chat we were told ‘Chat isn’t available. Please try again later.’ This was exceedingly disappointing from Gala. It was also really difficult to find the contact phone number.

Safety and Security Assurances

When you’re playing with your own, hard earned money and placing personal information online, it is important to make sure you are in safe hands and aren’t on a scam site. We will never review or suggest any online casinos that are dodgy operators, ensuring that only the safest and most reputable websites are displayed. There are a few ways to identify a secure casino, which are outlined in the table below.

The Gala Casino Website

Licence & Security Information

Regulatory Authority	UK Gambling Commission	Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner
Licence Number	319426
RTP & RNG Audit	Gaming Laboratories International
Player Protection	GambleAware	GamCare	GamStop
Owner of Website	GVC Holdings
Network Security	128-bit SSL encryption

Licencing & Technical Auditing

The most important part of that whole table is the licence number, which is awarded by the nation’s gambling regulatory authority, the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC) . The UKGC is very serious about protecting UK citizens from rogue casinos as well as from the dangers of addictive gambling, and makes potential casino operators jump through a lot of hoops in order to get this licence. Without it, a casino may not operate in the UK. You can always find the licence number of a certified casino either in the footer of the website page, or on the UKGC website.

Part of the requirements will also ensure that all games that are available to play on a casino’s website are tested to be ‘fair’. Of course, the house always wins, but as we explained in the RTP section of this guide, different games have different payouts. When you look behind any type of casino game, the software is developed using a Random Number Generator (RNG), which will quantify the win/loss ratio of the game. To ensure that all games are weighted so that there will be wins, the RNG software is tested by an independent authority. In the case of Gala Casino, RNG testing is performed by Gaming Laboratories.

The Gala Casino Company Details

As of April 2018, Gala Casino has been part of GVC Holdings, a huge casino conglomeration based in the Isle of Man. It was acquired by the holdings company as part of the Ladbrokes Coral group, which encompassed all of the Gala casino and bingo brands as well as Ladbrokes’ sports and casino empire. Bringing together these old names in the industry has created something of an online casino powerhouse.

Your First Steps at Gala Casino

If you’ve read this far and you’re starting to think that the Gala Casino is worthy of your time and money, then you’ll need to do a couple of things before you can actually start playing. There’s nothing complicated or time consuming about the next steps, which we have outlined below.

Registration Explained

When you want to make an account, just click on the green Join Here button on the top right-hand corner of the page. This will take you to a very standard looking form where you must enter your information, including personal contact details, your phone number, address and your date of birth for the website’s age verification requirements. Click to accept the terms and conditions and you’re good to go! As mentioned earlier, it is important to use your real information as you will be asked to verify your contact details when you first try to make a withdrawal, and if your details do not match then it could cause issues.

Important To Note When Making Your First Deposit

We’ve run through a list of the different types of deposit methods at your disposal on the Gala Casino site, so when you are ready to take advantage of the welcome bonus offer, you can head to the cashier to load funds into your account. Make sure your web browser will allow for pop-up windows, and have your payment details handy when you’re ready. Keep in mind the minimum deposit amount required to trigger the bonuses, too.

FAQ

The Gala Casino Wrap Up

The GVC Holdings Group – which runs Gala Casino online – has a well-deserved reputation for high quality service in the casino world. As a huge conglomerate, it has the money and power to invest in making its online operations shine, which will surely please the stakeholders. The acquisition is very recent at the time of writing this review, so it is too early to say how the takeover will affect Gala itself. However, the variety of the games itself – particularly the live games, is enough to impress, and the ability to choose which types of games you want to play for the welcome bonus is an interesting difference to the norm.

There are not as many games available on the Gala Casino as you’d like, not even as many as you’d see if you were to try out William Hill’s app. The wagering requirements must be completed in only 7 days, which is very strict when compared to the likes of 888casino, and the website isn’t as user friendly as, say Ladbrokes, which we’d also recommend if you’re looking for an astonishing number of jackpot games.