Gala Bingo Adds In-Game Betting, Can Start Taking Side Bets on Bingo Games

Bingo has become one of Britain’s favourite pastimes, in large part due to the marketing and promotion of Gala Bingo, part of the Gala Coral Group. The company that brought the game back into the mainstream has now added brand new ways to enjoy online bingo, thanks to its new in-play betting feature, known as Side Bets.

The fantastic new feature will offer more rewards and options for winning cash prizes during an in-running bingo game. Players will not only be able to take part in the bingo game itself, but also bet on specific calls. For example, they can wager whether the final house ball will be odd or even, giving them the chance to double their bet with odds of 1/1.

A similar bet available is whether the final house ball will be high or low – for example, above or below 45 in 90-ball bingo – again carrying odds of 1/1. For higher odds, you can also bet on what colour the full house ball will be from a palette of nine colours, which attracts odds of up to 9/1. Lastly, if you think the final ball will be a paired number, eg. 22, 44 ,66, then you could get odds of 10/1.

The 'Side Bets'

Customers of Gala Bingo will be able to place 'Side Bets' of between £1 and £25, with the amount depending on the game room they are in and the type of bingo game being played. Initially, five of Gala Casino’s 90-ball rooms will offer players the chance to play all of the Side Bets on one game. In order to participate in the Side Bet business, players must purchase at least one bingo ticket.

They must complete their own number selection before being able to expand to any additional wagers. The Side Bet window is tucked out of the way of the bingo cards, until you select it to roll out. From here, you then simply select which of the four options you want to bet on, what type of bet, and the amount. The options can be played in any combination, or all at once simultaneously on the same bingo game.

Playtech's Virute Fusion Shines with New Release

The new add-on system to the core bingo game was developed in an exclusive deal with bingo network company Virtue Fusion. The award-winning outfit is the world’s leading developer in internet bingo games, and carry such a strong reputation in the industry that in 2010 they became a part of the Playtech family after a successful acquisition.

The Side Bets system offers benefits for both players and the company. Customers will have more options available to wager on and win money, while at the same time generating extra revenue for Gala Bingo. And all without sacrificing the quality of the games. In fact, if anything, it makes them even more exciting. As Craig Perry, head of Gala Bingo and casino gaming operations, said when announcing the news:

"This is a nice additional feature to a normal bingo game and gives players who place side bets an interest right until the full house call."

Gala Hoping Side Bets Hits It Big

Players will have their fingers crossed that Side Bets manages to enhance their games, while Gala Bingo will be hoping that it fares better than their last addition, the Open-Bet powered Flutter sportsbook, which launched in 2014. Another attempt to add increased functionality and additional betting structure to Gala Bingo, Flutter failed to entice the largely female audience it was specifically aimed at.

After two years, Gala Bingo decided to close the failed experiment in place of Side Bets, which feels like a more natural progression of the bingo games. Side Bets are not the only reason to feel re-energised about online bingo. Earlier this year, Gala Bingo revealed a brand new website. Rather than simply updating it with a fresh coat of paint, Gala Bingo reworked the website from the ground up, introducing a full responsive, multi-channel bingo portal.

The control panel and interface was completely transformed too, making it much easier to navigate between games. Performance was also increased, with a noticeable speed difference in games loading, and smooth frame rates in the animations. So if you know the difference between Top of the Shop and Droop Drawers, why not visit Gala Bingo today and see if you enjoy a bit on the side!