Bingo

Gala Bingo

If you happen to partake in a little Bingo pass time in the UK, then chances are that you know Gala. In fact, the chances are very good that you have played in one of their halls. Why? Because Gala is currently the larges bingo company operating in the UK. If you don't believe us, then just look at the 166 halls they run that boast their roles to be over 250,000 people. And it doesn't hurt that they pay out over 30 million a week in prize money.

Now Gala is no new face in Bingo, either land based or virtual as they previously operated an online hall in partnership with the great St. Minver. Everything worked great for awhile, but in early 2006 Gala decided that it was time to go their own way. So they closed up shop with St. Minver and opened a hall in their own image. Now we can admit that this is a very gutsy move, but is it a smart one?

With so many back street shops up and running in today's market players have to be more careful than ever with matters of security. It is nice to play with a company of Gala's level, because you can rest easy knowing that this is one area where they offer no compromises. Gala has worked very hard for their reputation, and they are not about to throw it away. They work very hard to maintain high standards so you can just sit back and enjoy your game.

The website is very pleasant to look at. In fact, it just kind of invites you in to spend some time. The graphics are tastefully laid out with a very pleasing amount of animation. In fact we would have to say that this is one of the best designed halls we have had the chance to visit. If the rest of Gala's offering is up to this level, then they may just have something here.

If you have Flash up and running on your computer, and most of you probably do, then you are ready to jump right in. All the games at Gala Bingo are delivered using a non-downloading format that gets you right into the action. We really like this set up as it opens the hall to a very wide variety of users and their systems. Even better is the fact that when we ran the hall using our own in house Mac the games loaded up like a charm. Just one quick click on the "Play Online Now!" button and you will have all the Bingo you can handle.

If you want to play with Gala, then you are going to have to join-up. It just takes a few minutes to get through and then you are on your way to all the non-stop Bingo fun you can handle. We want to point out that it is possible to look at the games before you join, but the only way to see the chat and sample the fun is to go ahead and add your name to the roles. This is the point where we ran into our first real problem with the site in general. On the old Gala site, your account was instantly gifted with enough cash for 10 free games. This isn't some huge sum of money, but it is enough to get your feet wet before you commit. Today we found no welcome bonus for new players and there were very few bonuses to be had at all.

While the lack of any free play is a real shame, we don't mean to say that there is nothing positive in motion here. The quality of the actual games is very high and meets with our total approval. The games are presented in a very well integrated easy to operate console that includes the live chat as part of the package. A nice selection of user options will allow you a level of customization during your game. We took great pride in silencing the very annoying muzak loop that made our ears bleed. It is also a nice touch that you can re-size the game window to meet your needs. If you find you need a little intermission entertainment then Gala has a tempting selection of Instant Win games they hope to tempt you with. And we would be remiss if we didn't take a minute and brag on the chat functions found at Gala Bingo. We have to say that these are some of the busiest rooms we have ever come across. No matter what time of day it was when we poked our heads in the session were always busy. Plus the CMs are a blast with their great attitudes and clam guidance.

While the hall promises that lucrative non-cash promotions are on their way, at the time of our review there was nothing but dust in that department. We hope that Gala really is working to expand on this area because incentives can be a powerful draw for both new and experienced players. At the very least they should offer some type of nice welcome bonus.

If you are a fan of the real world Gala then their online temptation is a must see. Their decision to break from St. Minver does not seem to have lowered either their standards or quality. Players of all levels will find one great game of Bingo any time they need one. We are very happy to report that Gala Bingo is still the only and only, "Bingo That Gets You Buzzing!"

Click here to play at Gala Bingo now