Poker Bingo Sports Betting Casino - Top Online Deals

My Thoughts and Insights about Gambling Online

Chris Parker Signs on With Gala Bingo

Chris Parker Signs on With Gala Bingo

September continues to be a landmark month for Gala Bingo as they offer up great promotions, special events and now, a new addition to their line-up of celebrity guests.
Chris Parker, the actor that rose to fame as part of the Eastenders cast has announced plans to join on with Gala in the launch of its brand new Gala Bingo TV show, “Soap Star Bingo Show”.

The former Eastender will be hosting a program specially designed to cater to bingo players that wish to combine their gaming with entertainment news from all of their favourite shows. Parker will host a weekly hour of programming wherein special guests from the world of soap will appear on the bingo show to be interviewed by the actor. Viewers will be able to send in text and emails to Parker and his weekly guest as well, meaning that aside from great bingo play, “Soap Star Bingo Show” will also provide an incomparable avenue for interacting with and resolving television questions from popular actors themselves.

Parker may have put his days playing Eastenders star Spencer Moon behind him but his celebrity should be enough of a reason for many interested viewers to tune into “Soap Star Bingo Show” this month. Gala will air the program every Friday of June at 8pm during Gala Bingo TV’s live broadcasting hours (from 6pm until 2am).

Gala Bingo Announces Closure of Additional Clubs

Gala Bingo Announces Closure of Additional Clubs

The last few years have seen numerous brick-and-mortar bingo clubs being forced to close their doors while businesses focus more on the increasingly profitable online renditions of their services. Perhaps the most popular of land-based bingo groups, Gala Coral, is now continuing forward with this trend in announcing the closure of even more clubs across the UK.

The company recently spoke to British press regarding plans to close six clubs in the near future while also considering selling off another 40 to 50 of their halls. The move would make approximately 200 positions at the club unnecessary and will lead to the loss of a staggering number of jobs across the nation. Gala Bingo representatives detailed the problem of continuing to operate land-based bingo halls in a financial climate that barely creates any profits from their existence. With borrowed operation funds reaching almost £8 billion even Gala, the largest bingo corporation in the UK, has been forced to make tough choices in regard to the historically profitable halls.

Numerous problems have contributed to the closure of so many brick-and-mortar
bingo clubs but perhaps the most damaging has been the continued loss of revenue caused by the enactment of smoking bans in the United Kingdom. With the continuation of these issues we can expect Gala Coral to carry on in shutting down it’s previously booming clubs and refocus efforts to the growing business of online efforts such as Gala Bingo.

Gala Bingo Detail Line-up of August Promos

Gala Bingo Detail Line-up of August Promos

Fans of the Gala Bingo network are in for plenty of exciting gaming sessions as the summer draws to a close now that the site has unveiled its list of August promotional events. Plenty of guaranteed jackpots, special games and additional site features all combine to make the final four weeks of the season a great time to play at Gala Bingo.

The first week of August sees the site focusing on providing extra rewards for members of their Windicate system by allowing “Win Buddies” to share prizes with one another, handing out some extra money whenever one of their registered friends nets a cash reward. Normal prize earnings will be bulked up for all Wink Buddies, meaning that a 50p win can easily be turned into £1 by taking advantage of this promotion.

Guaranteed jackpots will also begin cropping up from now until the last days of August as Gala Bingo begins to turn rooms or bingo clubs into special, month-long prize arenas. Amoung those rooms hosting these big, cash guarantees are The Country Club, The Royal Club and The Seaside Club.

Gala Bingo has done a top notch job of ensuring user interest for their fans in the days to come. Along with the assortment of regular games and reoccurring features of the site, the impressive line-up of this August’s promotions are sure to make Gala Bingo a top destination through until (at least) summer’s end.

Gala Bingo Dishes Up Two Weeks of Free Play

Gala Bingo Dishes Up Two Weeks of Free Play

Beginning on Monday, June 8
thGala Bingo is offering members of their site a special treat with two full weeks of games that allow play without having to commit even a single penny. The series of events has been promised to include an unprecedented set of prizes; over 70 free games and a guarantee of at least 200 cash winners throughout the promotional period.

Gala Bingo Players will no doubt be excited for the complementary games as they start up on the 8th and run for the following two weeks. The beginning of the week will kick off the fantastic celebration, allowing players from the UK the option to play for free from 10am until 11pm of each of the fourteen applicable days. Members only need to log into Gala Bingo then pick their appropriate club (broken up into the geographical regions of North or South England, Scotland and Wales) to get into some of the (entirely complementary) gameplay.

The decision to host two weeks of daily free games comes as yet another celebration of Gala Bingo success and the 80th birthday anniversary of the Gala Coral franchise. It’s definitely a good time to play at Gala Bingo as June (and the rest of the year) promise to hold a great number of no-risk opportunities at grabbing some extra money while enjoying the site’s variety of stellar game styles.

Gala Bingo Continues Partnership with Chartwell Technology

Gala Bingo Continues Partnership with Chartwell Technology

Members of the ever-popular Gala Bingo website will be pleased to note the latest move by the venerable gaming company as news of their contract with
Chartwell Technology spreads throughout the online bingo industry. After three previous terms of business between the two internet giants, Chartwell and Gala are set to go for at least one more multi-year deal after renewing a development contract.

Chartwell Technology is one of the industry’s best regarded suppliers of internet gaming software and will soon be hard at work continuing maintenance and increasing the fan experience at Gala Bingo. The site’s Gaming Director for Gala Coral Group’s Remote Gambling Division, Daniel Phillips spoke to press regarding his company’s desire for consistency with the user experience. Signing on with Chartwell for the foreseeable future will continue the quality work done by the software developers while also ensuring that no dedicated fans will be lost such as would be likely to happen in the event of taking on a new development client.
 
We can expect to see more great work from the folks at Chartwell and the promise of the addition of new Gala Bingo titles and software options in the months and years to come. While fans watch Chartwell enter into their fourth consecutive term as Gala’s software client of choice they can rest easy knowing that the games and functionality they count on will be maintained until at least the contract ending date in 2012.  

Gala Launches the Gala Bingo Wizard

Gala Launches the Gala Bingo Wizard


 Although it may seem that there are precious few innovations still left in the game of bingo, Gala has found at least one method of increasing the fun possible from the popular pastime with the launch of their brand new Gala Bingo Wizard. The innovative technology has already been launched across the UK’s assortment of brick and mortar Gala Bingo halls to rave reviews and may set a new precedent for the typical style of bingo play.

The Gala Bingo Wizard is a touch-screen system that automates the traditional bingo playing process to a revolutionary degree. Instead of paper cards, daubers and a personalized caller, Gala Bingo Wizard system lets fans of the game sit down at a computer terminal to play from a variety of games without having to wait around for new sessions to begin or any other, slower processes. The addition of Wizard ATM machines add to the computerized version of bingo springing up at Gala Bingo clubs across Great Britain, allowing players to easily add funds to their bingo cards without having to actually retrieve cash from an outside source.

Gala Bingo move toward automated bingo is sure to divide fans of the game that will either embrace the drastic new style of play or find themselves missing the traditional pace and process of a bingo session. For now, interested players can look out for the Gala Bingo Wizard terminals throughout approximately forty Gala Bingo halls across the United Kingdom.

Gala Launches Spring Promotion

Gala Launches Spring Promotion

Spring is beginning to arrive and many bingo players are beginning to come back outside after a long winter to start work on their gardens. Gala Bingo hopes to provide a little assistance in this direction with their newest promotion, the Win a Garden Makeover contest.

The Garden Makeover will reward a lucky bingo player with a
Charlie Dimmock-guided transformation valued at £2,000. All players need to do to qualify for the prize is deposit money into their account during the promotional period. Every £10 entered (with the –garden- deposit code) acts as one entry into the contest. This means that frequent play at Gala Bingo throughout May could end up being your ticket to a beautiful garden just in time for your friend’s envy this summer.



Gala Bingo has also set up the Windicate promotion for players with fine gardens or little interest in the Makeover award. The system has players creating a team with five friends acting as “win buddies” and playing for a collective full house. Windicate awards 50p to each member of the team when a full house is won and is available nightly between 7pm and 11pm. You can accept five invitations to other Windicate teams as well, meaning that you could be winning money for your Gala account without even playing.

Gala Bingo Find their Nectar Millionaire

After months of suspense and excitement for the online bingo community at Gala Bingo, the search for the next Nectar Millionaire has come to a conclusion with the announcement of the contest’s winner; a primary school dinner lady from Dartmouth in Devon named Joan Scales. The lucky lady is now able to enjoy spending the Nectar points along with her family, a sum that equals roughly £1 million in value.

Joan will be able to shop at a wide variety of different UK stores using her reward and can redeem the points for almost anything, from clothing to wine or fabulous travel vacations. She was entered into the Gala Bingo tournament during the original promotional period (between November 24th and December 24th of 2008) by playing Gala Bingo games often enough to accumulate many entries into the contest. Joan told press that she and her family has already started to spend the prize on everyday items and are planning to use more of the sum toward future luxuries including a trip to Spain and home redecorating.

There’s no word yet on whether or not Gala Bingo will offer up another Nectar Millionaire contest such as the one held at the very end of last year. Just the same, Gala Bingo players will still be able to gather Nectar points (at the rate of 2 points per every £1 spent on purchasing bingo tickets) as part of the two company’s ongoing partnership.

Gala and Presidential Mum Win Big with Mrs Obama’s Game

Not to be outdone by the inauguration of her immensely famous relation, Kezia Obama, stepmother to the new American President, has launched her very own bingo site in conjunction with Gala Coral. “Mrs Obama’s Game” recently closed its doors after fundraising for charity through an offshoot of Gala Bingo’s main site, working well as an event that intended to capitalize on Barack Obama’s presidency in an immensely positive manner.

The promotion proved to be an excellent way to take advantage of Presidential fever and managed to succeed in raising a large amount of charity proceeds to the Sue Ryder Care foundation. After attending her stepson’s historic inauguration in Washington, Mrs. Obama was quick to return to her Berkshire, UK home and watch over the bingo events. An avid player and fan of the pastime, Kezia Obama partnered with Gala Coral to promote a series of games that allowed for 10p of every pound played to be donated to Sue Ryder Care.

The series was a massive success, raising approximately £10,000 over its one hour a day, ten day duration. Gala will match the amount for a total £20,000 donation to Sue Ryder Care and continues to work toward their goal of contributing £1 million to Sue Ryder by 2010. “Mrs Obama’s Game” ran from January 14th to the 23rd.

Gala Bingo Plans to Re-launch TV Channel

Gala TV, the television channel previously operated by Gala Bingo, is now set to re-launch due to the company’s appointment of a new production team. The previous group responsible for Gala TV, Endemol UK, has now been replaced by ETV Media Group, a business that plans to bring the channel back into the bingo limelight.

ETV Media Group has committed to the production of eight hours of daily programming with a brand new look and feel. While favourite segments and gaming events will be left intact, ETV has apparently spent a good deal of time “freshening up” the fare soon to be available through Gala Bingo. Top minds at ETV have assembled in order to liven up Gala’s television offerings, planning to increase user interactivity in order to promote the ease and excitement of TV bingo. Both companies hope to improve greatly on their last foray into televised gaming and have been hard at work ensuring that the re-launch captures the feel of a real bingo hall from the comfort of home.

New presenters have also been added to Gala Bingo TV to further increase the fresh feel of the channel. Gala Bingo and ETV have confirmed the future appearances of presenters including Anthony Heywood, Cat Porter and Kate Pullinger for their line-up. Gala Bingo TV will return within the next few months and is set to air on Sky and FreeSat along with free, online broadcasts at galabingo.com.

Gala Bingo Introduces Smoking Shelters

In an attempt to provide some reprieve from the massive financial hit currently afflicting brick-and-mortar bingo halls, Gala Bingo has introduced outdoor smoking shelters for fans of the game that would otherwise stay at home.

The shelters are planned to be constructed as a wooden patio deck with space heating and access to
electronic bingo playing machines. Gala Bingo has been clear about establishing their neutral stance on smoking while still recognizing their need to provide for those players who have lowered their bingo hall attendance due to the recent implementation of widespread UK bans. The Gala Bingo hall in Fenton, Staffordshire is currently equipped with a heated shelter that provides smokers with the ability to sit down at one of 32 bingo kiosks for 50p and £1 games. It’s a smart tactic which mirrors the creation of similar patios from the many pubs and clubs similarly attempting to maintain business in light of legal restrictions on indoor smoking.

Robert Jones, assistant manager of Gala Bingo in Fenton, Staffordshire spoke to press about his location’s status as the first Gala hall to host one of the shelters. Jones explained that the idea was conceived of as a method of both stimulating business and providing a social alternative to standing outside in the cold. He hopes to encourage an improved atmosphere and alternative for the many smokers put off by their previous inability to have a puff while enjoying a
game of bingo.

Head of Gala Bingo Announces Plan to Leave Company

John Kelly, head of the enormous UK gaming company, Gala Bingo has announced plans that he is set to leave his position by Christmas of this year. While previous statements had anticipated this move, the action was initially planned for some ten months later than the new date of resignation.

Although Gala Bingo is one of the biggest gambling corporations in Great Britain, Kelly has chosen to step down from his place after years of lucrative guidance.
Gala Coral (the larger group which Gala Bingo belongs to) has been led by John Kelly since 1997 and quickly became a major player within the world of internet bingo during this time. The last eleven years have seen Gala Bingo experience a large growth in revenue due to the online gaming boom and an influx of private equity owners. Kelly announced plans to continue his work as chairman of thetrainline.com, a successful UK online reselling business for rail tickets.

Despite a substantial loss in Gala’s casino and Gala Bingo hall sectors over the past year and a half, Kelly has made it clear that the decision to leave early was of his own volition and not the result of shareholder’s influence. The corporation is sure to rebound from their loss and has already begun plans to account for the change in leadership beginning later this month. Kelly’s spot is to be filled by
Neil Goulden, the current deputy chairman of the company.

Gala Bingo and Southern Electric Go Green in Advertising Campaign

Gala Bingo is catching on to the environmental bandwagon with the recent announcement of the company’s plan to launch a massive, green-centered advertising campaign. Through a partnership with Southern Electric both of the companies hope to raise awareness regarding social and financial issues concerning the fate of the planet.

Gala Bingo and
Southern Electric has just driven their message past Parliament with the already underway campaign aimed at providing details concerning CO2 emissions, energy conservation and the consumer savings possible through a ‘green’ lifestyle. While touting a slogan of “Save Energy, Save Money” on lorries traveling across the United Kingdom the two companies have also arranged great giveaways to get more people on board. Gala Bingo halls and Sue Ryder shops throughout Great Britain will be carrying energy-efficient light-bulbs to hand out (until the three million unit stock dries up). The idea is to get the average consumer to become aware of the longevity of the bulbs in an attempt to switch away from traditional, more wasteful bulbs.

Head of corporate social responsibility at Gala Bingo, Colin Morgan told press that the initiative with Southern Electric fits perfectly into the existing mandates put forth for Gala Bingo in their social responsibility program. The gigantic advertisement push should prove to be mutually beneficial for all parties involved and hopefully assist in paving the way toward a greener future for the UK.

UK Actress, Michelle Collins Backs Gala Bingo Charity Fundraiser

The annual fall charity fundraiser, spearheaded by Gala Bingo and supported by thousands of British gaming fans is just about to kick-off for 2008 and has now announced a surprise celebrity endorsement. Former “Eastenders” and “Two Thousand Acres of Sky” star, Michelle Collins was revealed as a supporter for the cause this week, a move that should bring even more publicity to the worthy events being undertaken.

Collins has already started to generate some buzz for Gala and the slew of supported charities by performing some outrageous publicity stunts designed with maximum attention as the goal. Last week Collins posed for photos in a ball gown dress composed entirely of bingo tickets and apparently has some other tricks up her sleeve to take out as the fundraising continues forward. She expressed her interest in the annual bingo charity in the press and urged supporters to come forward and donate in any capacity available to them. British bingo players have traditionally done a fantastic job of raising money for the proceedings and should be able to repeat their efforts this season as well.

Last year, Gala Bingo was able to rally enough attention to raise £2.75 million for the designated charities, an overwhelming amount which will go a long way toward helping out the community. The 2008 fundraising is set for a £3 million goal which may not be too far out of reach as time goes on. Anyone interested in donating to a charity should head over to Gala Bingo today for more details.

Review of Gala Bingo

We have just completed and uploaded our review of Gala Bingo here at Findabet.co.uk.

Gala Bingo is just about the largest UK online Bingo Hall, with an equally large amlunt of Physical Bingo Halls.

Gala is a brand which is synonomous with Bingo in the UK. They have recently signed Sharon Osbourne as the face of Gala Bingo and carried out some prime time television advertising to promote the brand.

Please
read our review of Gala Bingo or go straight ahead and play Gala Bingo today.

Gala Bingo Announces Withdrawal from the National Game

Industry leaders, Gala Bingo have been making big news lately with their controversial decision to withdraw from Britain’s National Game, a mainstay of the bingo community that sees one third of its jackpots coming from the now removed company.

The
National Game occurs twice a day all throughout the year (excluding only Christmas Day) and was conceived in 1986 as a means of drumming up business for all bingo halls across the nation. By retracting their participation Gala has understandably upset many of those who have counted on their support for more than twenty years and detractors have since accused the corporation of being overly selfish. With more than three million British citizens frequenting the National Game in the past this move may raise significant outcry. The remaining contributors are in doubt as to whether the historical promotion will still be able to function with such an enormous part of its funding now knocked out.

While
Gala Bingo is probably more concerned about their own company interests than the National Game this may hold larger implications for the future of the industry. As smoking bans hold some fans of the game back from halls the end of physical bingo play may be approaching. Other companies may choose to tighten their online interests in lieu of supporting the National Game in the future as well which could very well mean the closure of a great deal of bingo halls and the end of an era in the games history.