Gala Bingo is an online bingo and casino offering under the ownership of Entain.^[1]

Entain Partners is the affiliate program of Entain plc. Entain plc (LSE:ENT) is a multinational sports betting and gaming group operating through online and retail channels. Incorporated in the Isle of Man, Entain is a constituent member of the FTSE 100 with its shares traded on. Provides gambling services. The Company owns and operates casinos, betting shops, and bingo halls, as well as offers online interactive gambling in bingo, casino, poker, and gaming. Gala Partners Affiliates represent the UK high street bookmaker that are now part of the Coral/Gala/Ladbrokes group. Submit a complaint Terms Monitored Join Program. Gala Partners Affiliates are part of a group that have retroactively changed both player and affiliate terms and conditions. The new games will be available to all Inspired operators, including William Hill, Gala Coral and bet365. Gala Casino Owner. Affiliate - affiliates@galapartners.co.uk Support Option - Live Chat, and Phone. Support Line - +-7906 Support Line - +44 8.

Gala Bingo was created in 1991 as a division of Bass plc. It later became an independent company, and then became the Gala Coral Group after acquiring Coral Eurobet in 2005. After the sale of its 126 clubs in 2015 to Caledonia Investments (who rebranded them as Buzz Bingo in September 2018^[1]), Gala Coral retained the online Gala services and was later acquired by Ladbrokes (which was later acquired by GVC Holdings).

History[edit]

The chain began as bingo clubs operated by Bass Leisure, a division of Bass plc. As of 1983, Bass had 22 clubs operating under the Coral brand, and another 24 located in its Pontins holiday camps.^[2] That year, Bass purchased a chain of 80 bingo clubs from Thorn EMI for £18.2 million.^[2] By 1988, Bass was down to 72 locations, but added another 30 by purchasing Zetters Leisure for £23 million.^[3]

In May 1991, Bass purchased Granada plc's chain of 74 bingo clubs for £147 million.^[4][5] Combined with Bass's 91 clubs, the chain was tied with the Rank Organisation for the largest bingo operator in Britain.^[4] A united brand for the combined operation, 'Gala,' was chosen by John Murphy of Interbrand as a simple word incorporating letters from 'Granada' and 'Coral'.^[6] Gala was officially launched on 17 October 1991 when 17 clubs re-branded and launched a new image.

In 1997 a management buy-in purchased all 130 Gala Bingo Clubs from Bass for £235 million.^[7]

Over the next few years, Gala began acquiring other bingo clubs to increase their portfolio, including 17 clubs from Ritz in July 1998 and 10 clubs from Jarglen in March 2000. In April 2000, they added 27 Riva Bingo Clubs from First Leisure for £90 million. Gala diversified outside bingo for the first time when it purchased 26 Ladbroke Casinos for £235 million from the Hilton Group in December 2000. In 2001 it added the Jamba Online business for £1.5m.^[8]

The owners sold the whole business for £1.24 billion in February 2003 to the private equity firms Candover and Cinven.^[9]Permira bought a stake in the company in August 2005, which valued the business at £1.89 billion.^[10]

In October 2005, Gala acquired Coral Eurobet for £2.18 billion and changed its name to Gala Coral Group, creating the United Kingdom's third largest bookmaker and largest bingo operator.^[11]

The group added another 10 bingo clubs in 2006 when it purchased the County Clubs in Scotland for £64 million.^[12] The company spent another £14.5 million in February 2006, when it bought the Leo Casino in Liverpool from Dolby Management Ltd increasing the number of casinos in the estate to 31 (at the time).^[13]

Gala Coral won 403 betting licences in Italy in an open market tender in December 2006, under its Eurobet brand. The group formally established an international division in 2007. The group also set up a joint venture to attempt to launch bingo shops in China.^[14]

In 2011, a decision was made to move substantial parts of the business to Gibraltar, including almost all of the remote gaming division. The group, through acquisitions and new developments had over 30 casinos and 1,800 licensed betting offices.

Gala's total clubs peaked at around 174, but since 2007 and the introduction of smoking bans in Great Britain, this total declined to around 140.^[15] In their year end accounts of 2012, the company reported employment of 4,801 staff in their bingo clubs, along with 10,849 in 1,600 Coral shops, 2,776 in 25 casinos, 276 in remote gambling and 98 in Italy where it had over 400 betting outlets, plus a further 374 in support staff functions.^[16]

In July 2015, Gala Coral agreed to be acquired by its slightly larger rival Ladbrokes.^[17] The 130 Gala Bingo clubs were not part of the merger, and were sold to Caledonia Investments for £241 million in December 2015.^[18][19] The merger was completed on 1 November 2016, and Ladbrokes became Ladbrokes Coral.^[20]

Operations[edit]

As of 2008, Gala Bingo operated 137 clubs throughout the United Kingdom, with approximately a 24% share of all clubs and nearly 40% of National Bingo Game ticket sales up until the operator's withdrawal from the National Game in Summer 2008. Gala has around five million bingo members, of which approximately 1.2 million are active players. Gala Bingo has an average of 600,000 admissions per week.

The bingo division began participation in the Nectar loyalty card scheme on 1 June 2007.^[21] Nectar points were originally awarded for club admissions, and additionally for slot machine play from 1 September 2007, a first for the bingo industry. Gala Bingo no longer participates in the Nectar loyalty card scheme.

On 31 July 2007, pensioner Pauline Clarke, 62, became Gala's first GBP millionaire, after winning a tie break against another online player.^[22]

Gala TV was a satellite TV channel that aired from 2006 to 2011, showing bingo games.

Online services under the Gala brand are operated by GVC Holdings, including an online bingo site, GalaBingo.com, and an online casino, GalaCasino.com.^[23]

References[edit]

1. ^ ^ab'Gala Leisure to relaunch all clubs as Buzz Bingo with two-year £40 million investment plan'. International Coin Slot. Archived from the original on 29 September 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
2. ^ ^abBatchelor, Charles (10 September 1983). 'Bass buys Thorn EMI bingo'. Financial Times. London – via NewsBank.
3. ^Harris, Clay (7 June 1988). 'Bass pays 23 million pounds for bingo clubs'. Financial Times. London – via NewsBank.
4. ^ ^abChurchill, David (11 May 1991). 'Bass reshuffling its gambling interests'. Financial Times. London – via NewsBank.
5. ^'Granada Tooting, London'. Cinema Organ Society. Archived from the original on 9 June 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
6. ^Ashworth, Jon (23 September 1991). 'Bass seeks full house in Gala opening'. The Times. London – via NewsBank.
7. ^'Memorandum submitted by the Gala Coral Group'. UK Parliament. 2007. Archived from the original on 29 November 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
8. ^'Gala will spend £3m to make Jamba pay-to-play'. Brand Republic. 7 November 2001. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
9. ^'Bingo group bought in £1.25bn deal'. BBC. 7 February 2003. Archived from the original on 11 January 2006. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
10. ^'Permira Funds buy stake in Gala'. Permira. 1 August 2005. Archived from the original on 13 August 2014. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
11. ^'Casino group Gala snaps up Coral'. BBC. 7 October 2005. Archived from the original on 1 August 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
12. ^'Gala acquires County Bingo'. Casino compendium. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2016.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
13. ^'Gala buys Liverpool casino for £14m'. The Guardian. 13 February 2006. Archived from the original on 29 November 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
14. ^Annual Report 2007(PDF) (Report). Gala Coral Group. p. 18. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
15. ^Gala BingoArchived 13 December 2012 at the Wayback Machine galacoral.co.uk.
16. ^Annual Reports and Accounts 2012Archived 23 January 2013 at the Wayback Machine galacoral.co.uk
17. ^'Ladbrokes to merge with smaller rival Coral'. BBC News. 24 July 2015. Archived from the original on 26 July 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
18. ^David Cook (27 October 2015). 'Gala Bingo acquisition 'strange', says consultant'. Gambling Insider. Archived from the original on 28 December 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
19. ^'Caledonia Investments completes Gala Bingo acquisition'. Morningstar. Alliance News. 21 December 2015. Archived from the original on 28 December 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
20. ^'Ladbrokes Coral Group – Completion of Merger' (Press release). Ladbrokes Coral Group. 1 November 2016. Archived from the original on 23 April 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
21. ^Gala Bingo joins NectarArchived 17 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine
22. ^Daily Telegraph, 1 August 2007 Issue Number 47,325 Pensioner is bingo's first £1m winner
23. ^'About GVC Holdings PLC'. reuters. Retrieved 9 November 2020.

External links[edit]

Earnings & Commisions

Revenue Calculation Formula

Gala Coral Affiliates Center

Bingo

Net Revenue = the sum of a) the amount staked by End Users on Standalone Multi-Player Games less voided and cancelled wagers, less Winnings, less Progressive Jackpot Contributions, less Chargeback’s, less End User Balance Corrections, less Redeemed Bonuses where applicable, less Applicable Taxes and b) the amount staked by End Users on Multi-Player Networked Games less voided and cancelled wagers multiplied by the Percentage Profit Margin of those Multi-Player Networked Games, less Networked Progressive Jackpot Contributions, less Chargeback’s, less End User Balance Corrections, less Redeemed Bonuses where applicable, less Applicable Taxes

Casino

Net Revenue = the aggregate of Casino Bets less voided and cancelled wagers, less Casino Winnings, less Redeemed Casino Bonuses, less Progressive Seed Contribution, less Progressive Jackpot Contributions, less Chargeback’s, less End User Balance Corrections, less Applicable Taxes

Poker

Net Revenue = the aggregate revenue for the previous period comprising the sum of Poker Cash Table Rake plus Tournament Fees, less voided and cancelled wagers, less Chargeback’s, less Redeemed Bonuses, less End User Balance Corrections, less Applicable Taxes

Side Game

Net Revenue = the aggregate of Bets less voided and cancelled wagers, less Winnings, less Redeemed Bonuses, less Progressive Seed Contribution, less Progressive Jackpot Contributions, less Chargeback’s, less End User Balance Corrections, less Applicable Taxes

CPA – Available on request.

Affiliates should be aware of the following term:

In the event that your Commission Plan includes or comprises a cost per acquisition (“CPA”) payment, (unless otherwise unless otherwise determined by us in our sole discretion) this shall be not due or payable to you in respect of a Player where you have already been paid (or are otherwise already due) a CPA payment in respect of that same person or entity from: (i) any other brand we own, control or operate; or (ii) any other member of our Group and/or their brands.

Negative Carry Over – Yes, see below:

In the event that Referral Commissions in any calendar month are a negative amount, we shall be entitled (but not obliged) to carry forward and set-off such negative amount against all future Referral Commissions until any such negative balance is set-off in full. We shall also be entitled (but not obliged) to “zero” the negative balance that would otherwise be carried forward.

Minimum Payment – £50.

Payment Date – Within the first 10 days of the month.

Payment Methods – Bank Transfer

Sub Affiliate Commission – Yes but not defined.

Affiliates should be aware of the following term (specifically the prohibition on sharing information about your sub-affiliate agreement):

3.12 Sub-Affiliates. You may refer other persons to us so that they may also apply to join our Affiliate Programme. If any such person successfully joins our Affiliate Programme we will pay you in respect of the activities of such Sub-Affiliate in accordance with the Commission Plan. You will only receive credit for Sub-Affiliates which comply with all applicable terms of this Agreement. Any person registered as an Affiliate cannot subsequently be reclassified as a Sub-Affiliate. You shall not:

(i) register yourself or any person controlled by you as your own Sub-Affiliate;

(ii) use fictitious or alias names for the registration of Sub-Affiliates;

(iii) offer any type of enticement of money or otherwise of monetary value or otherwise to potential Sub-Affiliates unless such enticements are approved in writing by us, including any so-called “rake-back” schemes where a proportion of the player’s rake is returned to the player in any form;

(iv) attempt to introduce any addition or variation to our terms in relation to any potential Sub-Affiliate; or

(v) make available to any third party any details of the revenue share arrangements with any Sub-Affiliate.

Minimum Activity Quota – Yes, see below:

3.10 Promotion. You shall incorporate and prominently display the most up-to-date links and materials provided by us in a manner agreed by us on an ongoing basis, and you shall not alter the form, location or operation of the links without our prior written consent. You are eligible for Referral Commissions based upon its continued promotion of our Websites or Services. We reserve the right to reduce Referral Commission percentages if you reduce your efforts to recruit new Players.

and

4.10 Inactive affiliates: If you are inactive (ie do not refer a new Player) for a period of 60 consecutive days we reserve the right to reduce your Referral Commission for the remainder of the Term to either the default Commission Plan or to 10% of Net Revenue.

Gala Coral Affiliates Llc

High Roller Policy – None.

How long does player revenue last? – Revenue for referred players is paid for the lifetime of the player’s activity.

Are earnings from different products bundled – Yes.

Are earnings from different brands bundled – Not Applicable.

Tracking Cookies Duration – 30 days.

Tracking Cookies Overwritten – Credit given to last click.

Verticals – Bingo, Casino, Live Casino, Lottery, Poker, Sportsbook

Contact Details

Email – affiliates@coral.co.uk

Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/coral

Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/coral

Country Restrictions for Players – Åland Islands, Albania, Argentina, Austria, Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxemborge, Malta, Macedonia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Russian, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovina, St Kitts & Nevis, Sweden

Country Restrictions for Affiliates – None

Languages Available for players – English

Regulators

Software providers used – Playtech

Player Issues – In the second half of 2015 the Gala/Coral group became non-responsive to player complaints and appear to have changed the rules after a player completed their wagering and enforced the new rules to justify non-payment of the balance.

For references see – http://thepogg.com/casino-review/casino-reviews-appendix/#Coral.

Affiliate Issues – Both Coral and Gala Affiliates have retroactively applied new terms to old affiliates. These included the addition of Negative Carry Over and a Minimum Activity Quota on the 1st of May 2016.

Gala Coral Affiliates Images

Ladbrokes Partners (now part of the same group) have previously changed their terms and conditions and retroactively enforced them on previous affiliates.

Gala Coral Affiliates Group

For references see – http://thepogg.com/casino-review/casino-reviews-appendix/#Coral.

Affiliates should be aware of the following term:

3.7

Bidding on Brand Terms. You may not purchase or register keywords, search terms or other identifiers for use in any search engine, portal, sponsored advertising service or other search or referral service, which are identical or similar to Our Marks, or otherwise include the word “Gala” or any versions thereof, or include keywords on any of the Websites without the direct authorisation from Gala Interactive (Gibraltar) Limited and strict adherence to Gala Interactive (Gibraltar) Limited’s Pay Per Click (PPC) and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) policy, (available on request), likewise you may not use Our Marks in HTML coding (including but not limited to ‘meta tags’, ‘meta descriptions’, ‘meta content’, ‘page titles’ and ‘titles’).

Coral casino have recently become an undesirable place to send your players. Non-responsiveness to player complaint being the lesser issue, overshadowed by changing terms and conditions and retroactively enforcing them to justify non-payment of a winner. That is a very significant issue making Coral a risky place for players to engage.

Unfortunately the Coral group are not better for affiliates. While the retroactive terms changes applied at Ladbrokes happened before the merger and were apparently applied due to technical issues with a new affiliate platform, the changes at Coral Affiliates happened after the merger and were put in place for purely commercial reasons. Where a program is prepared to arbitrarily change affiliate agreements in this manner it leaves the affiliate at the mercy of the operators (any term could change at any time), with no contractual protection. We would strongly advise affiliates to consider this before working with Coral Affiliates.