Gala Casino is the wholly-owned online gaming subsidiary of the well-known Gala Coral Group, the U.K’s third largest gambling and gaming company. The brand is focused on becoming the premier destination for players who take their online casino gaming seriously. Gala currently offer two unique and dedicated e-gaming brands to choose from, GalaBingo.com and of course, GalaCasino.com.
In order to stake their claim at the top of the online casino food chain, Gala have employed a number of highly experience online gaming professionals, who have all gained invaluable experience in online casino gaming and sports betting from other prestigious brands including William Hill, Bwin.Party, Genting, Mansion and a number of other leading brands in the gaming industry.
Another interesting fact is that Gala Casino has chosen to employ industry gaming software leader Playtech as their primary casino games supplier. This can be seen as a bold move, but it can also most certainly be seen as a smart one. Playtech are respected throughout the gaming industry as well as with the gaming public as one of the most accomplished and innovative brands in the business. As such, Gala Casino is able to offer over 300 of the best casino games available.
1. Casino-Bonus
Get up to £400 instantly on sign up!
Gala Casino offers a good welcome bonus for new sign-ups in the form of a 100% match up to £400 on your first deposit. This represents a great deal for new players who want to explore everything that the casino has to offer, as a 100% match offer essentially means that the casino will double whatever you decide to make as your initial deposit — albeit in bonus funds. This is a great way to stretch out your bankroll and make it last longer. 
The casino requires a minimum deposit from you of at least £10 or, if you prefer playing in USD, then it will work out to the same minimum deposit of £10. You will notice that, as soon as you decide to make your first deposit (after signing up with the casino of course), a pop up will appear asking you how much you are deciding to commit to your first deposit. This is where you decide what you can afford to deposit and, as long as it is more than the minimum, the casino will double that deposit.
There are of course a few restrictions to take note of with the sign up/welcome bonus offer. One thing to note is that players from Russia, Croatia and Romania are excluded from this offer and the second thing to note is that this offer also requires certain wagering requirements. In case you do not know what wagering requirements are, it is simply a way for the casino to ensure that you are not trying to scam them out of free money. To find bonuses that offer less stringent playthrough requirements, check out our casino bonus comparison.
You will be required to wager the bonus plus deposit at least 20 times before you will be allowed to withdraw any winnings derived using the bonus. This is actually somewhat lower than many other online casinos and is all in all quite a fair offer. There are also other bonus offers such as free spins for U.K players depending on the Gala Casino bonus code available.
And remember that, as always, terms and conditions apply — make sure you read them first.
2. Casino-Environment
Smooth and immersive user experience
Gala Casino presents a smooth and elegant, highly immersive casino experience that is aesthetically pleasing, keeping up with the latest in digital online graphic technology. The casino look and feel will most certainly appeal to those who admire and prefer a high definition, cutting edge digital experience that offers sophistication and class.
Aside from the rich digital experience, the casino layout is also extremely well-designed and well-thought-out. Menus are ever-present and drop down to reveal more in each category, making getting to the games or features that you are looking for quick and easy.
Design
Main casino offerings are presented in tabs along the top of the casino homepage in blue, perfectly complementing and enhancing the casino’s predominant rich royal blue theme colour. Once you have selected a tab it, rather elegantly, transforms into a deep red. This way you can tell at a glance where you are or where you are headed.
Main casino navigation tabs include:
- Home
- Casino
- Slots
- Jackpots
- Live Dealer
- Macau
- Poker
- Games
- Mobile
- VIP
- Promotions
Clicking on one of the game tabs for example, will reveal a dedicated page with all games on offer in that particular category, neatly laid out in a grid formation. Not only is this visually appealing, it also makes choosing games very simple indeed.
Another very nice feature reveals itself whenever you hover your cursor over one of the tabs. Here you will see a small pop up-style mini screen with the games available in that category neatly listed on the left side and picture icons of recommended or promoted games in a 6-piece grid. This makes things even smoother and quicker when navigating through games.
Performance
Gala Casino also offer their cutting edge and classy design aesthetics in a full download version, were you can enjoy everything that the casino has to offer, or a slightly more compact Instant Play version. The Instant Play of Flash version requires the latest version of Flash Player and offers the benefits of fast, no-download play on virtually any system, anywhere.
The Flash or Instant Play version is also great for users who prefer to save space on their hard drive or use a different operating system such as Mac users. We decided to try both as part of our comprehensive Gala Casino test.
We were quite impressed with the full download version which only took a few minutes to download and install, giving us easy access to the entire casino suite, great for our Gala Casino review. The Flash platform is even quicker and, once signed up, a simple click or two and we were playing great casino games.
Another important aspect that we looked for during our Gala Casino test is how easy accessing games was. We found that, thanks to the way the casino had been designed in terms of layout, accessing any of the games on offer took no more than a click or two before we were ready to play.
Accessing important account information is also quite a simple process however, accessing banking is not quite as intuitive as it could be, a small niggle in an otherwise excellent part of our Gala Casino review.
3. Games Offer
More than 300 games including all top Playtech titles.
Gala Casino offer over 300 different casino games to choose from, with a decent amount in each category to suit all preferences.
While Gala Casino does favour Playtech as their primary source for gaming software, the brand does use a range of other select providers, just to keep things interesting. These select software providers include:
- Microgaming
- IGT (WagerWorks)
- NextGen Gaming
- NetEnt
While the above list may seem somewhat smaller than some online casinos currently provide, anyone with some experience playing at online casinos will be able to tell at a glance that this is a formidable list indeed. Fans of video and progressive jackpot slots will be delighted to know that Gala Casino carries a competitive range of Playtech (and others) slots, including the now-famous Marvel Comics series of progressive and video slots.
As part of our Gala Casino review, we decided to take a few of them for a spin or two. Iron Man 2 and the Incredible Hulk are two of the most played and loved Playtech Marvel Progressive Jackpot slots and the good news is that Gala casino also includes both on their mobile casino platform.
Other top slots on offer include:
- Wish Upon a Jackpot
- Candy Bars
- Winnings of Oz
- Pharaoh’s Treasure
Gala Casino also offers a range of exclusive slots titles that you won’t find at other online casinos and some of these include:
- Fortune Dragons
- Money Multiplier
- Big Banker Slot
- Cash Bonanza
- Cashtro’s Voyage (similar to Gonzo’s Quest)
4. Devices & Apps
Playing top class Gala games wherever you like!
Being able to play on the go is becoming more and more important to today’s online casino gamers and Gala Casino have done an outstanding job in presenting their mobile casino. This helps to push our Gala Casino rating up considerably as this brand is able to offer almost all of their best games on both mobile phones and tablets.
The casino offers a dedicated app that is available to Android and iOS (Apple) users, although fans of other operating systems can also enjoy Gala Mobile casino simply by logging on with their mobile browser (using the latest HTML5 browser software).
Getting the app is also a simple process and there are three basic options available to you: scan the QR code, send the casino an SMS or simply visit the casino from your mobile browser. For the sake of our Gala Casino review, we tried all three options and each works very well and only takes a few minutes to complete.
5. Customer Service
Service: Getting in touch with the experts at Gala Casino
Gala Casino offers a solid customer support service that is available 24-hours a day. One of our primary reasons for creating an account with them is to test the reaction and expertise of their casino support staff; it is a vital aspect of our complete Gala Casino test.
We found that the instant chat feature was by far the best way to get hold of the brand’s support staff and the agent we dealt with was efficient, friendly and polite. You can also make use of a simple contact sheet if you prefer email correspondence — or mail them directly via [email protected]. Once the simple sheet is filled in it takes less than twenty minutes (in our case) to get a casino support staff member to address our query.
The casino also operates a direct call centre for those who prefer a more human sort of contact. Players within the U.K will be delighted to learn that all calls from within the UK are toll free by dialling 0800 328 4272. Unfortunately for those outside in Europe and elsewhere, calls are charged at rates applicable to your specific territory.
Finally, the casino also offers a very comprehensive and well-designed FAQ section, with categories such as gaming, banking or technical questions laid out in neat and easy to see (at a glance) tables. This is always a good starting point as most of the common questions can be answered without the need to contact customer support at all.
Gala Casino offer good payout times with most processing periods barely exceeding the 24-hour mark, although they have been known to take longer. Additional time frames can obviously be added based on different banking methods employed.
6. Deposit & Payout
We look at the best banking methods available
Gala Casino offers a fair selection of popular banking methods for both depositing funds and withdrawing winnings. While some methods are available that offer the dual convenience of being able to facilitate deposits and withdrawals, it is important to note that not all methods can be used to facilitate withdrawals.
Another aspect to consider is the waiting time on some of these methods; some are quite quick, anywhere from 24-hours to two days, while other can take a week or more.
Gala Casino generally requests a minimum deposit of 10 GBP or 10 USD, particularly when collecting the initial welcome bonus.
We’ve compiled a list of Gala Casino’s most popular methods along with average processing times.
(Note: these are estimates and can be shorter or longer, depending on whether the casino requests verification documents upon first withdrawals)
| Payment Method | Name | Deposit | Pay-Out | Waiting Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Credit Card | £10 - £10 000 | £10 - £10 000 per day | 1-3 Business days |
 | EcoPayz | £10 - £10 000 | £10 - £10 000 per day | 1-2 Business days |
 | Maestro | £10 - £10 000 | £10 - £10 000 per day | 1-3 Business days |
 | Neteller | £10 - £10 000 | £10 - £10 000 per day | 1-2 Business days |
 | PaySafeCard | £10 - £10 000 | Not available | Not available |
 | Skrill | £10 - £10 000 | £10 - £10 000 per day | 1-2 Business days |
 | PayPal | £10 - £10 000 | £10 - £10 000 per day | 1-2 Business days |
 | ClickandBuy | £10 - £10 000 | £10 - £10 000 per day | 1-2 Business days |
 | EntroPay | £10 - £10 000 | Not available | Not available |
 | UKash | £10 - £10 000 | Not available | Not available |
 | WebMoney | £10 - £10 000 | £10 - £10 000 per day | 1-3 Business days |
7. Security & Licensing
Ensuring a safe and secure playing environment
Another crucial part of the Gala Casino review takes the form of online security and licensing. For an online casino to be safe and secure, it needs to offer recognisable and reputable accreditation with industry recognised bodies.
Gala Casino offers two affiliations with recognised industry authorities in the form of licensing and regulation by the Government of Gibraltar as well as the Gambling Commission of Gibraltar, together that is a very tough and strict jurisdiction to be operating in!
The Gala brand also employs the services of IBAS, the Independent Betting Adjudication Service which offers impartial and fair dispute resolution between the casino operator and the customer/player.
Gala Casino are also regularly audited to ensure that their RNG software (Random Number Generator) as well as their RTP (Return to Player) statistics and percentages that have been set by the Gambling Commission and other bodies.
Gala Casino also enjoys certification from RGT (Responsible Gambling Trust), Gambleaware and Gamcare, ensuring that player behaviour is monitored and any potential problems are dealt with. The casino also monitors account applications to ensure that no underage persons are able to open an account with them.
8. Limits & Payout
What you get out and what you can bet at Gala Casino
Gala Casino offer a fairly decent payout margin across the board of around 95% and also offer a good range of low to high limits on their table games, both virtual and live casino. Generally the low side of their betting limit varies (depending on the game) from around 0.50 ((£,£,€) and 4-5 (£,£,€) all the way up to the high side of the limit of 4000/5000 up to 250,000 ((£,£,€).
9. VIP-Program
Added incentives to loyal players at Gala Casino
The Gala Casino VIP club is certainly worth joining and as part of our Gala Casino test we decided to take a closer look.
The VIP program offers a variety of added benefits and privileges that regular payers don’t get (unless they join the VIP program of course). Additional benefits and privileges offered by the VIP program, as per our Gala Casino opinions include:
- Exclusive promotional offers
- Special VIP-only table limits
- Personal account management with 247 support
- Priority withdrawals
- Invitations to exclusive events
An additional benefit of being a Gala Casino VIP member is much higher bonus percentages including an extra 50% Monday bonus boost and higher value comp points.
10. Additional Offers
Other great Gala platforms.
The Gala brand of gaming enjoys a long history that stretches all the way back to the start of the nineties when Gala Bingo was formed after Gala Social Clubs merged with Granada Social Clubs, forming one of the most popular land-based gaming destinations in the U.K.
The online offerings from this highly respected and successful brand are just as popular and, besides the extensive online casino gaming platforms on offer, lovers of all things gambling related can also enjoy Gala’s main claim to fame, now online in Galabingo.com. Together, Galabingo.com and Galacasino.com offer two of the most comprehensive online gaming destinations available today.
Our Summary
One of the popular brands on the rise
In performing our thorough Gala Casino review we discovered that this brand offers one of the best online casino experiences available. Not an easy feat in such an over-saturated online casino market! The brand offers a sleek and highly sophisticated casino platform that is easy on the eyes and not overbearing in any way.
While there is plenty to rave about with this casino, pointing out a few of the highlights is probably far more useful, they include:
- A solid bonus offer for new sign ups
- Fair (and lower than some) wagering requirements
- Over 300 top quality casino games to choose from
- Playtech powered games (with other top brands in support)
- Decent banking facilities with a good range of banking methods
- Fantastic VIP and loyalty programs
- Safe and secure site facilities
- Fair gaming practices
- Good mobile casino platform
- Download and Flash casinos available