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Gala Casino Verdict
It’s very hard to find any fault with Gala Casino as it impresses with its levels of customer service, bonuses and promotions, VIP programme, software, site design, and mobile platform. The only thing players may miss is access to Microgaming and NetEnt slots. Other than that, it’s an excellent and innovative online casino that you can rely on to keep you fully entertained.
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Design & Usability
The Gala Casino website uses a simple black-and-white colour scheme so that the more colourful graphics contained in its banners are easily noticeable. The font appears a little larger than normal, which means you don’t struggle to read the small print underneath the offers, and there are just enough items on the main menu to fit the available space without the need for sub-menus.
You can view the four biggest promotions on the sliding homepage banner, or take a look at the different game types in more detail. There are also links to the VIP scheme and promotions page on the main menu, and if you want to log in or join, you can do so by clicking the yellow or green buttons respectively.
Although the simplistic design of the website makes it extremely easy to navigate, it really doesn’t sell the Gala Casino brand, and even the logo at the top-left seems to fade into obscurity as it’s the same colour as the rest of the main menu.
Software & Gameplay
Gala Casino runs on Playtech software, which is a highly sought-after platform that’s also the choice of Grosvenor, Ladbrokes, and BGO Casino. As well as giving you a stable and secure environment in which to play, the software gives you access to an unrivalled range of games including live dealer tables which are considered to some of the best in the industry. Plus, you get the benefit of Playtech’s progressive Marvel slots such as X-Men, Iron Man, Blade, and The Incredible Hulk.
Gala also boasts an ever-growing range of Gold Exclusives – slots that you won’t find available anywhere else.
Safety & Security
Gala Casino is dually licensed and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission and the Government of Gibraltar/the Gibraltar Gambling Commission. It’s GamCare certified, which indicates it’s a fair and safe site to play at, uses a random number generator, SSL encryption, and a secure URL, and provides visible links to its Fairness, Privacy, and Responsible Gaming Policies on every page.
Payments & Withdrawals
You can use any of the following payment methods: Visa Debit, Maestro, MasterCard, Visa Credit, Paypal, Skrill, Skrill 1-Tap, Neteller, Eco, or Paysafecard.
The cashier allows you to make quick and easy deposits and withdrawals, and enter bonus codes where applicable. The minimum deposit and withdrawal amounts are both £10, and withdrawals to e-wallets are frequently processed and credited the same day.
Customer Support
Another great design feature of the casino’s website is the Help banner that remains at the bottom of every page no matter how far up or down you scroll. A simple click of it takes you to the support page, where you can read or search the Help Centre database, or get in touch with the team. However, you can only view the contact options once you’ve selected two brief categories that describe your issue, which is to prevent the customer service team being overwhelmed by questions which could’ve been answered via the Help Centre. You can get in touch 24/7 via email, telephone, or live chat.
Bonuses & Promotions
As many of us love online casinos for different reasons (e.g. some of us prefer slots while others like table games), it makes perfect sense for Gala Casino to offer new players a choice of three welcome bonuses depending on their gaming preference. Each deal requires you to make a first deposit of at least £10, and you can choose from 1) a 100% slots welcome bonus of up to £400 with 20x wagering requirements; 2) a 50% roulette welcome bonus of up to £200 with 30x wagering requirements; or 3) a 50% blackjack welcome bonus of up to £200 with 30x wagering requirements.
You can also pick your own second and third deposit bonus, provided you deposit £10 each time. The options for both the second and third deposit bonus are: 1) a 50% slots bonus up to £200 (wagering = 20x); 2) a 50% roulette bonus up to £100 (wagering = 30x); or 3) 50% blackjack bonus up to £100 (wagering = 30x).
The majority of the casino’s promotions are unique to Gala, and include the Game of the Week (get 25% cashback on the selected game, which you can vote for, plus double comp points) and Top Up Tuesday (get a 25% top-up bonus when you deposit £10 or more). There are also seasonal promotions and the occasional networked Playtech promotion where you can enter cash giveaways and leader-board prize draws.
Device Compatibility
Information on how to play on your mobile phone or tablet can be found in the online Help Centre. You can either visit the site on your mobile device and log in using your normal account details or you can visit the App Store to download the iOS app. As we’d hoped, the range of games is extremely good, and you can even play live dealer games and exclusive online slots playable anywhere in the UK.
Variety & Originality
When it comes to variety, Gala Casino easily competes with the UK’s top online casinos thanks to its diverse games catalogue that includes casino games, slots, jackpots, live casino games, and Macau games from Playtech, IGT, Ash Gaming, WMS, and NextGen.
The table games include multiple roulette variants such as Penny, Marvel, 3D, and American, as well as Baccarat, Sic Bo, and Craps. Card games and poker fans can enjoy a diverse range of titles such as Double Attack Blackjack, Stravaganza, Red Dog, Caribbean Stud Poker, Pontoon, Deuces Wild, 10’s or Better, and Blackjack Peekrule 6 Deck.
There are classic slots like Crazy 7 and Ocean Princess, an eye-boggling array of progressive jackpot slots such as Age of Gods – Goddess of Wisdom, Top Cat, Monty Python’s Spamalot, Clover Rollover, Worms Reloaded, and Genie Jackpots, and an exciting list of exclusive slot games including Cashmeleon, The Legend of Pompeii, Rainbow Rewards, and Super Gold 7s.
We can highly recommend Gala’s exclusive live dealer games, which let you choose from a range of Blackjack, Roulette, Sic Bo, Baccarat, and Hold’em tables manned by both Asian and European dealers to suit your betting preference.
Loyalty & Rewards
Gala has a regular comp points-based loyalty programme, which awards you one point for every £10 wagered on any game. You can exchange your comp points for real cash.
There’s also a VIP scheme, which consists of four levels. To get to Level 1 (Bronze), you must deposit a total of £500 per month and earn at least 250 comp points per month. To get to Level 2 (Silver), you must deposit a total of £2,000 per month and earn at least 1,000 comp points per month. To get to Level 3 (Gold), you must deposit a total of £4,000 per month and earn at least 2,000 comp points per month. Level 4 (Platinum) is by invitation only.
VIP perks are dependent on your current VIP level, and can include a personal account manager, weekly cashback (5% to 20%), weekly Wednesday Recharge bonuses (£100 to £1,000), VIP table limits, priority withdrawals, and invitations to exclusive promotions and events.