Gala Bingo Bonuses

For nearly 20 years, the name Gala has been associated with bingo, originally on the high street where they have around 140 clubs and halls, but more recently as one of the biggest names in online bingo. Although they now run an excellent online casino and poker room, it is still their bingo site that attracts the most customers, many of whom have played at the land based sites and, having grown to trust the brand, now enjoy more games from the comfort of their own homes as well.

The website is presented in a bright blue colour which immediately catches the attention of visitors, with details of the current bonuses, hottest jackpot games and latest news prominently displayed at the top of the page. Below this, Gala details some of the top slots and usefully but unusually, features the bingo schedule on the homepage, giving potential customers an idea of how frequently the events run, prices, number of players and prizes without having to sign up first. Needless to say, being such a hugely popular site, Gala Bingo have a packed schedule.

Games

This site runs on the Virtue Fusion software platform developed by Playtech, one of the biggest names in online gaming. By using this software, Gala Bingo has joined a big network of sites and so in some rooms, Gala customers will be competing against players from other sites, although there are still many rooms that are exclusive to Gala as well. Gala state that they have over 600 games a day, paying out over £2 million to their players, so there is enough bingo here to keep even the most dedicated fans happy.

75, 80 and 90 ball games are all featured, in a total of 21 rooms. Each room is shown under the 'Bingo' tab at the top of the homepage and there are some useful details about each one, such as game type and special features. Clicking on the 'Station' room section, for example, will reveal that tickets here are only 10p, with £5, £10 and £15 prizes for one line, two lines and full house respectively, while there are jackpots every 30 minutes. Other rooms include Castle, Seaside, Amazon, Area 75, 1980 Club and Dreams among others, each one being different from the other in some way. Specials that are shared across the Virtue Fusion network include Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, Deal or No Deal and Lucky Numbers.

Buying tickets and entering a game is an easy process which will be familiar to anyone who has played online bingo before and should present no problems to complete newcomers. Players can filter the type of game they are looking for using the 'Refine By' buttons or just go to the Schedule page to seek out the right type for them and, once they have joined a room, tickets can be bought in just a couple of clicks. The layout of each game is very logical, with tickets and called numbers to one side of the screen and chat details to the other. Links to some of the latest and most popular slots and casino software will also be seen and players can choose to buy tickets with bingo running in the background while they play the slots if they want to. There are always lots of chat games going on and, with so many players at Gala Bingo, it can get quite busy in some rooms, but anyone who prefers a quieter game with a better chance of winning, should be able to find one or two with fewer players.

While most online bingo sites feature a number of slots, scratchcards and casino tables, there are literally hundreds at Gala. Most are supplied by Playtech, meaning that players will find plenty of popular titles and film-themed slots, progressive jackpots and bonus features, although there are still quite a number provided by other software developers, giving Gala customers a unique mix. To get to them, players can either click on the links during a bingo game, use the slots or click the Games and Vegas tabs along the top of the homepage.

Anyone who likes to play while on the go using a mobile phone or tablet will be able to enjoy 13 rooms of bingo and over 25 of the biggest slots games and scratchcards. You can still use the chat functions, and your account balance and log in details will be the same as the ones from the main website.

Bonuses and Promotions

There are always plenty of promotional offers here including a new player welcome bonus that can be worth several times the amount of a customer's first deposit amount up to a set maximum amount, and special guaranteed jackpot games, often related to the time of year or any big events like football tournaments or Royal occasions. Every time a player purchases a bingo ticket, they earn Buzz Points which are loyalty points that can be cashed in once enough have been accumulated. The more points earned, the further up the Gala Loyalty Scheme players will rise, and the higher up the six levels they go, the better the points conversion rates get. Members also get access to daily free games, seasonal bonuses and other special offers, and a welcome feature is the extra bonus offer at the slots and Vegas parts of the site, which lets existing bingo players get further deals when they start playing at the casino.

Banking

Funds can be paid into a Gala Bingo account using the most common credit and debit cards, as well as prepaid cards and vouchers. Anyone should be able to use at least one of these although, if using a prepaid system, the player will need to have an alternative method arranged to receive any winnings or to withdraw money to. If a credit/debit card was used to make the deposits, withdrawn funds will automatically be returned to the same payment method or card.

Customer Support

Gala has a highly experienced customer support team who are able to help anyone who has a query about any aspect of playing here. They can be contacted either by live chat, e-mail or via a UK freephone number, and the support office is open 24/7.

Conclusion

There are many things about Gala Bingo to recommend, from the choice of rooms to the huge number of slots and casino games on offer. By being part of such a big network, the graphics look great and there is plenty of exciting bingo action in each of the rooms. Bonuses are competitive, although not spectacular, and it's a shame that there is no reload bonus for loyal customers. Other than this, it's a great place to play.