The Gala Bingo Merry Million will be spread over 24 days, with up to £5,000 up for grabs 3 times a day from 1^st – 5th of December, increasing by a generous £1,000 each day from the 6^th December, culminating in a £50,000 jackpot on 24^th December.  All bingo players need to do is take part in daily jackpot games and get a full house on the number that matches the date e.g. 19 on 19th December wins £19,000.

The promotion, exclusive to Gala Bingo is guaranteed to bring some festive cheer to the bingo community throughout December. Christmas is all about sharing with others so when a lucky winner hits the jackpot on 50% of the prize will go to them and the remaining money will be split between the rest of people playing in the room at that time and spreading the Christmas cheer all round!

There will be three special jackpot games per day at 8pm, 9pm and 10pm, plus Christmas themed graphics and the usual online features. Gala Bingo members can also enjoy 24 days worth of festive side games in a “surprise advent calendar” format.  Promotions will change daily so players are urged to visit Gala Bingo each day to find out what’s in store.

Matt Prevost, Marketing Director of Gala Bingo said: “It is great to be able to help our online community countdown to Christmas with the Gala Bingo Merry Million. We’d like to wish all our players good luck this December and here’s to a very Merry Christmas one and all!”

One lucky grandfather from Weston-Super- Mare is celebrating after scooping a fantastic £391k jackpot on leading bingo website galabingo.com.

Unable to sleep the restless shift worker, who wishes to remain anonymous, logged on to have a quick play on the site’s popular five-reel Irish themed Leprechaun’s Luck slot game. Just minutes later the 61-year-old hit the pot of gold – winning a staggering £391,146.

In total disbelief the ecstatic aircraft refueller had to wait until the morning to confirm his eyes weren’t deceiving him and he in fact clearly had the luck of the Irish!

Still in shock, he said: “I keep pinching myself. This kind of thing doesn’t happen to me! I’ve always longed to be my own boss and this win has allowed me to do just that. I’ve just handed in my notice and now plan to set up my own gardening business.”

He added: “I’m also looking forward to spoiling my family. My fifth grandchild is due in the summer and winning on galabingo.com will allow us to treat the whole family.”

Lesley Whyte, consumer PR manager for Gala said: “We give away over £62 million a month and always love hearing how our players plan on spending their winnings. We wish this lucky customer all the best in starting his new gardening business and spoiling his entire family.”

Lesley added: “While our Leprechaun’s Luck jackpot may have just gone, there’s still plenty of opportunity for our players to strike lucky with our other games such as Alice’s Wonderland, which currently has a jackpot of nearly £100k*.”

*Jackpot correct at time of going to press

A lucky mother of two was celebrating today after winning a fantastic holiday and the opportunity of a lifetime to compete in Gala Bingo’s Ultimate Bingo Championships in Gibraltar.

50-year-old Susan Mayhew logged on for a quick game of bingo at leading online bingo site galabingo.com and was soon celebrating after winning a trip to the sunshine isle of Gibraltar and the chance to win a share of the £100k jackpot up for grabs.

The ecstatic retail manager, who plans to whisk her husband Richard away with her spoke of her excitement: “I can’t wait to jet off to Gibraltar, we’ve visited the island once before and thought it was absolutely beautiful. I’m so excited that galabingo.com is giving me the chance to go back and play to win a share of £100k.”

Asked what she would do if she were to be crowned the Gala Ultimate Bingo Champion, Susan said: “I’d share the money with my family, perhaps take them all on a lovely holiday. I would also spoil my daughters and buy them each a new car. My youngest is starting driving lessons next year and it would be lovely to be able to buy her a car for when she passes her test.”

The 2011 Ultimate Bingo Championship is taking place between Monday, 7 and Wednesday, 9 November and will see players whisked off to Gibraltar for a three day stay in a top four star hotel while competing to become the Ultimate Bingo Champion and win a share of £100k prize money.

In order to be in with a chance of winning a place in the final players need to take part in special games marked with the trophy logo running daily at Gala Bingo and on galabingo.com. There are four qualifier games per day on Monday to Saturday, plus three games on a Sunday.

The winners of these games receive the normal game jackpot but also entry into the leading bingo sites’ Big Sunday Playoff game at 9.30pm in the all new Tournament club. The lucky winners of all of these Sunday night playoffs will find themselves heading to Gibraltar to compete in the biggest game of the year. There are still plenty of chances to qualify over the next 11 weeks exclusively at galabingo.com

Lesley Whyte, consumer PR manager for Gala said: “We love giving away large jackpot prizes at galabingo.com, awarding around £62 million a month in prize money and never tire of hearing our winner’s stories. We hope Susan and Richard enjoy their holiday and wish Susan the best of luck in her quest to become the Ultimate Bingo Champion.”

Players can also qualify by playing the dedicated games in Gala Bingo’s 142 clubs.

One lucky lady from Manchester is ecstatic after managing to scoop a staggering £345k from just a £1 stake on leading bingo website galabingo.com.

Laying in bed with her laptop the sales administrator, who wishes to remain anonymous, thought she would have a quick play on the site’s Alice’s Wonderland slot game before she went to sleep. Just minutes later, the 32-year-old hit the jackpot winning an amazing £345,775.

At first, she didn’t believe it was happening and had to phone her partner who was out for the evening to return home and check that she had actually won the money.

Still in shock from the win, she said: “Things like this just don’t happen to me. It’s fantastic, I’m completely overwhelmed! The most I have ever won is £300. All my girlfriends are now logging onto galabingo.com to see if they can also win big.”

The delighted lady, who plans to stay in the Manchester area, is still not sure what she is going to do with the money, but she is planning a quick weekend away with her partner to have a think about it.

She added: “We have wanted to move for a while and this win means we can now start to put this plan into action. I don’t really want a lot – maybe a holiday and some spare cash to help my family and friends.”

Lesley Whyte, consumer PR manager for Gala said: “We love giving away prizes at galabingo.com and are thrilled that we’ve had another jackpot winner on our popular progressive jackpot game Alice’s Wonderland. On average we give away around £62 million a month so we never tire of hearing how even a quick game at bed time can deliver a jackpot win.”

Gala Bingo, the UK’s number one bingo operator, is embracing the social revolution by launching a fantastic new blog, MyGala.co.uk, as well as dedicated Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages.

The great new MyGala.co.uk site contains all the latest entertainment reviews and showbiz gossip, bingo news and Gala Bingo promotions – making it a ‘must go’ destination for any bingo fan!

Running across the top of the blog are a number of tabs where the dedicated team of writers are ensuring that bingo fans can immediately access information on the nation’s favourite past-time, side games, Roulette, Lotto, Gala TV and discover all the in-club Gala Bingo news.

And, to keep the bingo community buzzing 24/7, from the top right-hand corner of MyGala.co.uk, players can also access the dedicated Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages as well as subscribe to the RSS feed.

In just a few short weeks the Facebook group has attracted nearly 3,000 fans and is already proving a real place for fans to chat, comment and engage with the company as well as post their own photographs of their bingo playing antics.

For up to the minute information Gala Bingo customers can also keep up to date with the big wins and bingo promotions via its official Twitter found at @galabingo. Already nearly 2,000 people are following Gala Bingo’s every move!

Lesley Whyte, consumer PR manager for Gala said: “We’re really delighted with the initial response that we’ve had from our new social sites. It’s already really clear that our customers want to engage with us this way as the feedback we’ve been receiving across both our online and club customers had has been extremely positive. Customers also seem to really like the mix of showbiz and entertainment news along with all of the latest winning bingo tales and promotional offer updates.”

Gala Coral Group’s highly successful partnership with Sue Ryder Care was celebrated at a House of Lords reception on Thursday evening (January 27) after it smashed its £1.5million target for the charity.

Sue Ryder Care, which provides expert and compassionate care to people living with conditions including Cancer, Multiple Sclerosis, Stroke and Huntington’s disease, was selected as Gala Coral Group’s chosen charity after taking 50 per cent of the votes in an employee ballot in early 2008.

Over the last two years the Group has pulled together to deliver some truly record-breaking fundraising activities including the Highest Game of Bingo ever played – where a team of 25 Gala Coral Group employees accompanied by a Sue Ryder Care employee trekked to Everest Base Camp to play bingo, raising over £110,000. They even got Gala Coral Group’s directors to go ‘Back to the Floor’ in 2009 and 2010 to host a night at Gala Bingo Woking to raise money for the charity.

Other fundraising initiatives over the last two years that have enabled Sue Ryder Care to continue to liberate lives in its 14 care centres and community-based services across the UK, include Barack Obama’s step-mother Kezia helping the cause during the President’s Inauguration by having a dedicated game on galabingo.com, which raised £20,000.

The fundraising target was initially set at £1million to be reached by the end of 2009. However, due to the fantastic support demonstrated by employees, the Group smashed the target and increased it to £1.5million by December 2010. Each area of the business was set individual targets to hit including galabingo.com who, in addition to ‘Mrs Obama’s Bingo’ set bespoke Sue Ryder Care games where a percentage of the proceeds went to the charity, raising over £75,000.

A weekly fundraising table was also set up within the Group to create friendly rivalry and to guide each club and team’s performance to ensure the target was met.

Gala Bingo Coventry Walsgrave become the highest ever fundraising club in the Group’s history after raising £50k thanks to general manager Gary Colledge and his team’s determination. They organised and carried out numerous activities including bungee jumps, skydives, mammoth cycle rides as well as completing the 3 Peaks Challenge in July 2010.

Dr Colin Morgan, Head of Corporate Responsibility & Internal Communications at Gala Coral Group said: “Raising £1.5m during a recession is a performance in itself. We have never raised so much before for one charity and it is a testament to everyone in the business who got behind such a worthwhile cause. It has been fantastic to work so closely with Sue Ryder Care who do some truly amazing things for those who need extra care and we know they appreciate every single penny.”

Paul Woodward, Chief Executive at Sue Ryder, said: “We have been so impressed with Gala Coral’s continued commitment and enthusiasm in raising vital funds for Sue Ryder over the past two years. £1.5million is a fantastic achievement and will go a long way to helping us grow and develop our services to reach more people that need end of life and long-term health and social care.

He continued: “In these uncertain economic times all voluntary income is much needed in order to help us continue to provide care that makes a real difference to people’s lives. On behalf of Sue Ryder, my sincere thanks go out to everybody at the Gala Coral Group.”

Members at Gala Bingo Stratford saw the New Year in style after local father Joao Trindade hit the leading bingo operator’s unique High 5 jackpot, the week before Christmas.

Originally from Portugal, Joao moved to London six years ago and has been a regular at the Stratford club ever since. The father-of-one went to the club to play bingo on Wednesday, December 22 and won the full house prize of £2,000, but was thrilled to discover he’d also hit the High 5 jackpot, taking his winnings up to £127,000.

However Stratford’s lucky streak didn’t stop there. Due to the groundbreaking nature of the High 5 game, half of the overall £250,000 jackpot was shared between the 56 players in the club at the time, meaning they each took away a fantastic £2,233, kicking off 2011 with a bang!

The win came at just the right time for 30-year-old Joao who was recently made redundant.

The excited winner said: “I still can’t believe that I won! This has been the perfect start to 2011. It means I can now spend some quality time with my beautiful three-year-old daughter before returning to work, while still being able to put some money aside for her future.”

Joao added: “I’m so glad to be able to share my win with everyone at the club. It’s come just at the right time of year. Everyone at Gala Bingo Stratford was so lovely and congratulated me straight away!”

Club operations manager of Gala Bingo Stratford, Craig White, said: “It was a brilliant evening. The atmosphere in the club was fantastic and the place erupted as soon as Joao called house. It’s always exciting to see our members win big prizes and it was a fantastic start to the New Year for everyone here.”

Over 51 million Gala Bingo members have played the High 5 game since its launch in 2007. The club leading the way by awarding the most prize money is Gala Bingo Fenton, having paid out an astonishing £1.38 million. At odds of some one in 1,145 million, Gala Bingo in Warrington saw two £250,000 wins in the space of just six days in the week before Christmas 2009. The High 5 Jackpot has paid out a total £18,921,890.09 since it began, and it’s easy to see why the game has been one of Gala Bingo’s most successful to date.

The High 5 game offers a unique chance for customers to play for a jackpot. With better prize money and even more chances to win, the linked High 5 game is Britain’s biggest bingo jackpot.

Interim CEO Neil Goulden recently announced he would be stepping down from the board after over ten years at the company. Gala Coral moved quickly to hire Carl Leaver as new Chief Executive, while they also hired Debenhams boss Rob Templeman in the role of non-executive chairman. Goulden will remain active in the running of Gala Coral until January 2011 to ensure a smooth handover period to the new bosses.

Commenting on his departure and the new chiefs, Neil Goulden said, “I would like to warmly welcome Carl and Rob to the Gala Coral Group. They both have huge reputations built upon a successful track record in the retail and leisure sectors. I have no doubt that they will have a significant positive impact on the Group.

I feel the time is now right to step down from the group. Having successfully led the group through its recent financial restructuring, and helped to recruit a top-notch chairman and CEO to work alongside our CFO, Gary Hughes, I know that I am leaving the company in good shape and in very capable hands.”

Goulden will continue to do work for Gala Coral in a consultant capacity for three years after he leaves in January. The company also rewarded his incredible contribution to the development of Gala Coral from “number two bingo operator in the UK to the leading gambling company in Britain” by inviting him to become chairman Emeritus of the group.

Gala Coral has over 3.5 million active customers in the UK and has around ten per cent of the UK gambling market from online bingo to land-based casinos. The Gala Coral Group is the only gambling company in the UK with significant businesses in the bookmaking, bingo and casino markets, both on the high street and online.

A local postwoman is busy packing her suitcase after winning a dream holiday to Egypt worth over £1,000 on popular interactive bingo channel Gala TV.

When Samantha Pickard from Maidstone tuned in to Gala TV, which is webstreamed on galabingo.com and broadcast on Sky and Freesat channel 861, she had no idea in the next few minutes she would be celebrating a £200 win as well as a fantastic 5-star vacation to Sharm el Sheikh.

However, it was not until the following week the 36-year-old realised she had not only won the money but the trip to sunnier shores thanks to Gala TV’s special summer holiday giveaway.

Samantha said: “I didn’t even know that I had won the holiday until Ben Hull, one of the presenters from Gala TV and the former Hollyoaks actor, popped into work to tell me the good news. I couldn’t believe it, it made my week!”

After getting married last year Samantha wanted to treat her new husband to a fantastic anniversary present. She said: “My husband and I saved for years for our dream wedding and honeymoon. It was wonderful, but this year we have had the holiday blues as we couldn’t afford to go away. I wanted to make our first anniversary really special and winning on Gala TV has made it perfect!”

Samantha added: “We were ecstatic when we found out we’d won the trip to Egypt. I had been struggling to think of traditional, paper gift ideas to mark our first anniversary. Now thanks to Gala TV my problem is solved as I can give him a plane ticket!”

Gala TV manager Kevin Loman said: “We are thrilled that Samantha and her husband can celebrate their first anniversary in style. We have over 200,000 winners every year and its always fantastic to hear how they celebrate. We hope they have a lovely holiday.”

Gala Bingo and Mecca Bingo will be going head to head later this month in a 5-aside football match to raise vital funds for their respective charities – Sue Ryder Care and Marie Curie Cancer Care.

Despite the friendly rivalry between the leading bingo operators, the two Plymouth-based Gala Bingo clubs and Mecca Devonport will be working together on Monday, August 30 to ensure as much money as possible is raised for charity.

As well as the football which kicks-off at 1pm, they will also be holding a fete including raffles and book stalls at the Plymouth Stonehouse Recreation Ground, which they hope will be supported not only by their bingo regulars but also by other members of the wider community.

All the money raised will be split equally between the two charities. Half will go towards Gala Bingo’s group charity, Sue Ryder Care, which provides end of life and long-term care to people living with conditions including cancer, Huntingdon’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and patients recovering from strokes and will contribute towards Gala Coral Group’s pledge to raise a total of £1.5million for the charity by the end of 2010.

The other half will go to Marie Cure Cancer Care as part of its 2010 partnership with Mecca Bingo. Marie Curie Cancer Care is one of the UK’s largest charities. Employing more than 2,700 nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals, it expects to provide care to around 29,000 terminally ill patients in the community and in its hospices this year and is the largest provider of hospice beds outside the NHS. Mecca Bingo is aiming to raise enough money to fund 10,000 hours of home nursing care.

Organiser and manager of Gala Bingo Derry Cross, David Gregory-Clements, said: “It’s really gaining some momentum now and we’re all looking forward to the day. This five-a-side tournament not only allows us to generate a bit of friendly rivalry between the local bingo clubs but also to do something really positive for both of our charities. We are all hoping the day will be well supported. May the best team win!”

Mecca Devonport General Manager, Nigel Green, commented: “The team has been training hard and we are all really pleased to be taking on a rival local bingo club to raise money for both charities! It should certainly be a lot of fun on the day and we hope our customers and team members will come along to show their support and help us raise a lot of money.”

All money raised from the match at Plough Lane, Wallington, which will see 40 employees fiercely compete for the title, will go directly to help Sue Ryder Care continue to provide four million hours of compassionate care to people living with long-term complex conditions such as Cancer, Stroke, Brain Injury, Multiple Sclerosis, Dementia, Huntington’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease and Motor Neurone Disease.

Everyone is welcome to bring a picnic, watch the cricket and join in the fun. There will also be an opportunity to take part in a grand draw to win some fantastic prizes including a Surrey County Cricket Club bat signed by former England captain Alec Stewart.

Gala Bingo, which is part of Gala Coral Group, selected Sue Ryder Care as its group charity in July 2008 after an employee vote showed overwhelming support for the charity. Through a number of fundraising activities the group, has pledged to raise £1.5m by the end of 2010.

Graham Freemantle, General Manager at Gala Bingo in Woking, said: “We’re really looking forward to the day as it’s a great way to get employees from across the Group together while raising money for such a good cause. While it will be great fun, no doubt there will be a lot of friendly rivalry to win the title.”

Gabriela Potworowska, Area Fundraising Manager for Sue Ryder Care, said: “A charity cricket match is a fantastic way to get everyone involved to make the most of our summer and raise money for Sue Ryder Care. The organisation that has gone into the day will ensure that everyone will have a great time. We can not thank Gala Bingo in Woking enough for their ongoing generous support.”

Gala Coral Group raised even more money for charity partner Sue Ryder Care last weekend after 29 employees completed the notoriously tough 3 Peaks Challenge.

After smashing its initial target to raise £1m for the charity in 2009, Gala Coral Group pledged to raise a further £500k for the charity, which provides end of life and long-term care to people living with conditions including cancer, multiple sclerosis, stroke and Huntingdon’s disease.

The 3 Peaks Challenge, which saw the group climb the highest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales within 24 hours, raised £30K alone, taking the company to £1.2m towards its £1.5m target.

Paul Woodward, chief executive Sue Ryder Care, said: “On behalf of Sue Ryder Care, I can’t thank everybody at Gala Coral enough for their truly fantastic support. The money Gala Coral employees continue to raise enables us not only to maintain provision of care via our health and social services nationwide but to develop and grow so that we can reach out to more people.”

He added: “We know that many people prefer to be cared for in their own homes. As such, with the support of money raised from Gala Coral we will continue to develop community based services that support people to live well in their own homes for as long as possible – and when the time comes, die with dignity, free of pain and in their preferred place of choice.”

Dr Colin Morgan, head of corporate responsibility for Gala Coral Group, said: “We are very proud of our staff and customer’s ongoing commitment and enthusiasm in support of Sue Ryder Care. This climb was not an easy one, it was more of an endurance test than a trek with mist and rain and night time walking!”

Gala Coral Group selected Sue Ryder Care as its nominated charity following an employee vote in May 2008. Other fundraising activities have seen 24 employees, trek 75 miles and ascending 2,700 metres to Everest Base Camp and a London to Cambridge bike ride.

He will leave his job on October 1 and will be replaced in the short term by the company’s executive chairman, Neil Goulden, who was previously chief executive between 2004 and 2008. Harrison has been at Gala since 2004 and was made chief executive in October 2008.

Harrison said: “After six years with Gala Coral it is time to seek fresh challenges. I wish Neil and the rest of the team all the best as they take the company forward to the next phase in its development and ensure that it remains at the forefront of the sector.”

Goulden praised his successor, saying: “Dominic has played a big role in the development of the group over the last six years and we are grateful for his contribution. He leaves with our thanks and best wishes for the future”.

Harrison’s departure comes shortly after Gala Coral completed a major debt restructuring. As part of the new ownership structure, under the control of private equity owners Apollo, Cerberus and Goldman Sachs, the management team were in the process of renegotiating their contracts.

One person close to the company told Bingo News: “The debt restructuring has been incredibly draining and has gone on for many, many months. There was a natural break and given he is only in his mid 40s Dominic probably felt there were some other opportunities available to him. I don’t think the new owners really understand the bingo business yet and they are definitely there as financial players rather than operators, so it makes sense for someone else to try and turn it round.”

Mezzanine debt holders have converted their £558m holding into equity, and have injected a further £200m in cash, which will go to pay down senior debt.

As a result net debt will reduce by over £700m to circa £1.9b and senior secured debt will reduce to circa £1.5b which is less than 5x last 12 months EBITDA of circa £310m.

In return, the mezzanine holders will take ownership of the Group and existing shareholders Candover, Cinven and Permira will exit.

A reduced and revised senior debt facility will provide incremental covenant headroom for the company.

The new shareholder group will be led by Apollo, Cerberus, Park Square and York Capital Management, each of which will each nominate a representative to the Group Board, in due course.

The restructured Group will retain over £200m of cash within the business, and is now focussed on investing for future growth in both its retail and online businesses.

Commenting on the restructure, Gala Coral’s Executive Chairman, Neil Goulden, said:

I am delighted that, after nearly 12 months, we have successfully concluded one of the largest and most complex restructurings in UK corporate history. The restructured Group is now in a strong position and fully able to compete in an increasingly competitive and global gambling market. We have 17,000 employees, nearly 2,200 retail outlets, over 3.5 million active customers and some of the best known gambling brands in Europe in Gala, Coral and Eurobet. When combined with our strong cash flow, reduced levels of debt, and over £200m in cash, we are very well positioned to invest in growth as the UK and global markets come out of recession.

In Apollo, Cerberus, Park Square, York Capital Management and others we have an enviable stable of financially strong, supportive and engaged new shareholders. At the same time, I would like to pay tribute to our exiting shareholders (Cinven, Candover and Permira), as well as our senior and PropCo lenders, who have supported us through a complex and often turbulent restructuring and have always acted in the very best interests of the company.

Rick Press, Partner at Apollo Management added:

We are pleased that the balance sheet and ownership of Gala Coral is being restructured successfully in a consensual process. We are especially grateful for the support of Gala Coral’s customers and suppliers and the loyalty and dedication of its employees. The Gala Coral management team have done a terrific job guiding the business through this process and we, along with all the new shareholders, look forward to helping them to now position the company for future growth.

While her footballer husband, Harry Kewell, is away playing for the Australian team in South Africa, the Hollyoaks actress is fronting Gala Bingo’s World Cup ‘While the boys are away, it’s time to play’ campaign to offer the football-fatigued a genuine alternative during the four-week tournament.

Nine hundred people turned out to the club in Victoria Road to see Sheree call the numbers of their ‘World Cup Fever High 5’ linked game, which could be heard across all 147 of Gala Bingo clubs nationwide and offers players the chance to win £250,000 every day during June and July. If ‘house’ is called on number 5, the winner claims half the jackpot, while the other half is shared by all the other players at the club.

While no-one was lucky enough to call on number 5 last night, a player in Gala Washington called on number 35, winning 10 per cent of the jackpot in addition to the £10,000 full house prize, taking their winnings up to a massive £35,000!

In between bingo games, Sheree chatted to players, signed autographs and had her photo taken with the seemingly endless queue of people who were eager to meet her.

Sheree said: “I had a fantastic time at Gala Fenton. It was a really fun night and it was lovely to meet so many of the players. I’ve always loved the excitement of playing bingo and you still have a great time even if you don’t win!”

Gala Bingo Fenton’s general manager, Scott Nerjup, said: “The atmosphere last night was absolutely fantastic. It was great to see so many people come along to meet and play bingo with Sheree and everyone really enjoyed themselves. Sheree was a natural at calling the numbers – I’ve offered her a job, if she ever fancies a change of career!”

Gala Bingo’s ‘World Cup Fever High 5’ game will take place in Gala Bingo clubs nationwide every day throughout the World Cup at 14.30 and 20.30hrs. In addition to the World Cup Fever games, Sheree also has a series of online games in the dedicated ‘Sheree Murphy’ club at www.galabingo.com, which has weekly jackpots of £20,000. Popular interactive bingo channel, Gala TV, which is streamed and broadcast on Sky and Freesat channel 861, is also running a number of World Cup themed games.

It was a special night at Gala Bingo in Colchester on Wednesday, June 2, when a lucky local scooped an incredible £250,000 on the High 5 jackpot.

The winner, a local lady from Colchester who has chosen to remain anonymous, was playing bingo with her friend when she won the full house prize of £10,000 – and was shocked to find she’d also hit the High 5 jackpot, taking her winnings up to over £135,000.

As if that wasn’t enough, the Colchester luck didn’t stop there. Because of the groundbreaking nature of the High 5 game, half of the overall jackpot – £125,000 – was shared between the 248 players in the club at the time of meaning each player took away £504.03 each!

The winner said: “I am absolutely ecstatic with the win. It hasn’t sunk in yet! I’m going to spend the money on home improvements and a holiday. My friend and I have played bingo together at Gala Colchester for 14 years. We’ve always dreamed of winning the big one and we always said that we’d split it between us. We were so pleased we called on number five and got to share the jackpot with the rest of the club. We won’t stop coming to Gala Bingo though – we love it!’”

Gala Bingo Colchester Club general manager Steve Riley said: “We’re absolutely thrilled for her. Someone from another club called ‘house’ at the same time so we thought the jackpot would be split two ways – but that turned out to be a false call. Everyone was so shocked – the players were all looking round in disbelief while the news sunk in. It took a while for everyone to calm down after that! The atmosphere was electric. All the players were thanking the winner for helping them win £504 each! Gala Colchester is a friendly club and Wednesday was certainly a night to remember.”

This is the first High 5 win at Gala Colchester. At odds of some one in 1,145 million, Gala Bingo in Warrington saw two £250,000 wins in the space of just 6 days in the week before Christmas. The total High 5 prize money is over a staggering £30 million since its launch in September 2007, and it’s easy to see why the game has been one of Gala Bingo’s most successful to date.

The High 5 game offers a unique chance for customers to play for a jackpot. With better prize money and even more chances to win, the linked High 5 game is Britain’s biggest bingo jackpot.

The Group’s award-winning community partnership with Sue Ryder Care, its strategy on environmental stewardship and leading position on responsible gambling, helped it to achieve Bronze in the UK’s leading voluntary benchmark of corporate responsibility.

The Index helps companies to integrate and improve their business operations, by providing a dedicated approach to managing, measuring and reporting on business impacts in society and on the environment.

Achieving Bronze illustrates the Group’s clear commitment to corporate responsibility across its business, which includes leading brands such as Coral bookmakers, Gala Bingo, Gala Casinos and Eurobet.

Dominic Harrison, Chief Executive, Gala Coral Group said: “We’re delighted to have been included in the Corporate Responsibility Index for the first time and we are aiming higher as we continue to work on clear corporate responsibility goals.

“We were highly commended for our strong community partnerships where we have worked hard to raise over £1m for Sue Ryder Care. We also gained accolades for developing our strategy on environmental stewardship, where we have set and exceeded clear targets on carbon reduction.”

He added: “Business in the Community also recognised our leading relationships with key stakeholders in the field of responsible gambling which remains an important area of focus for the Group as well as for our transparency on Corporate Responsibility reporting.”

Stephen Howard, Chief Executive, Business in the Community said: “I congratulate Gala Coral on achieving Bronze in the 2009 Business in the Community Corporate Responsibility Index. Companies participating in the Index may be at different stages of their responsible business journey, but they have all demonstrated that they take these issues seriously and are leading the field in ensuring this is just how they do business. We believe this is imperative if we are to strengthen and stabilise our businesses and economy.”

Gala Bingo and galabingo.com has teamed up with Sheree Murphy to offer the football-fatigued an escape from all the discussions regarding Rooney’s right foot or England’s penalty shootout chances.

While her World Cup footballer husband, Harry Kewell, is away playing for the Australian team in South Africa, the Hollyoaks actress will be having plenty of fun at home without him.

She’ll be going out with her friends to play bingo at the UK’s number one bingo operator, where every day during June and July someone can win £250K playing Gala Bingo’s ‘World Cup Fever High 5’game.

Driven by big prizes, excitement and teamwork, ‘World Cup Fever High 5’ is a rollover jackpot game. If ‘house’ is called on number 5, the winner claims half the jackpot, while the other half is shared by all the other players at the club.

From 9-30 June, Gala Bingo is also offering the chance to win between £50 to £15k cash prizes in its eight ‘All Winners Games’.

Gala Bingo offers plenty of things to do if bored of the World Cup. From June 1 and throughout the World Cup, Sheree will have a series of online games in the dedicated ‘Sheree Murphy’ club at galabingo.com, as well as weekly jackpots of £20,000. Popular interactive bingo channel, Gala TV, which is streamed and broadcast on Sky and Freesat channel 861, will also be running a number of World Cup themed games.

Sheree said: “During the World Cup, I’m not going to be sitting around watching endless hours of football. Instead I’m really looking forward to a great night out playing bingo with my friends.”

She added: “I’m really excited to be working with Gala Bingo. I’ve always loved to play bingo. It’s a great night out.”

Chris Edgington, group marketing director at Gala Bingo said: “With Sheree’s help, we’re delighted to be offering our players a fantastic escape from all the World Cup fever in June and July. We’ve got some great cash prizes up for grabs as well as the chance to win £250k. We wish all our players – and England – the very best of luck! ”

Gala Bingo’s ‘World Cup Fever High 5’ game will take place in Gala Bingo clubs nationwide everyday throughout the World Cup at 14.30 and 20.30hrs.

Britain’s pets are living the high life, according to research revealed today by Gala TV to celebrate the bingo channel’s eagerly awaited ‘Pet Hour’ during April.

With half of the nation’s pet owners letting their furry friends sleep in their beds and another 49 per cent opting to sit on the floor while their pets lounge in comfort on the sofa, it seems we are definitely a nation of dedicated pet lovers.

In addition to three-quarters (74 per cent) of Brits carrying a picture of their pet on their mobile phone, it seems we also like to dine with our pets. Even if it’s steak or roast chicken we’re cooking up, 50 per cent enjoy the same meal as their owners – putting a new spin on dinner for two!

However, it seems there are limits to our dedication. While most people (90 per cent) said they would rescue their pet if their house was on fire, unbelievably one in ten (10 per cent) still said they would save their mobile phone first!

To celebrate Gala TV’s ‘Pet Hour’, the UK’s favourite bingo channel has recruited TV vet Joe Inglis to co-host the show, which will be web-streamed at www.galabingo.com and broadcast on Sky and Freesat Channel 861 between 8-9pm every Friday from 9-30 April 2010.

In addition to playing a special 10p pet-themed bingo game to win cash prizes and the opportunity to adopt a pet, the BBC’s One Show vet will be revealing other surprising facts about the ways people pamper their pets, such as:

• 33 per cent of owners allow their pets to sit in the front seat of the car
• 27 per cent have named a pet after a TV character e.g. Del Boy, Homer, Buffy
• 22 per cent will only stay in hotels which allow pets
• 18 per cent regularly take their pets to a grooming parlour
• 16 per cent only feed their pets organic meat
• 12 per cent dress their animals up in specially bought pet clothes

Joe Inglis said: “I’ve been a vet for 14 years and am still amazed at some of the things people do for their pets as we really are a nation absolutely dedicated to them. But, as well as pampering them, it’s really important to know how to care properly for our animals’ health and wellbeing, which is why I’ll be talking about everything from animal arthritis to pet passports on Gala TV throughout April.”

Kevin Loman, Gala TV manager, said: “We know our viewers are mad about their pets – some people even send in pictures of themselves playing bingo with their dog or cat! So we’re delighted that Joe Inglis will be hosting a month of pet bingo on Gala TV and would like to encourage viewers to send in their questions for him. It’s a great way to learn something useful while they play bingo!”

Gala TV awards 200,000 winners a year and gives away approximately £20,000 each night in prize money. Viewers can play bingo and a variety of side games through the web-stream or by simply using their remote control red button.

• Research conducted by One Poll

Gala Bingo will be showering you in cash this April in their £10,000 April Cash Shower.  A first prize of £1,000 Cash is up for grabs (see total prize fund right). To enter this promotion all you need to do is play any of Gala Bingo’s 3 Mega Jackpot Slots: Monopoly, Cluedo and Cleopatra.

Simply have £5 worth of spins on any of the 3 feature slots and win or lose, you will be entered into the competition. You will be given one prize draw ticket for every £5 spent and an unlimited number of tickets can be earned. The more you play the greater your chances of winning but remember that over 1,000 customers will be guaranteed a prize so why not give £2Million Mega Jackpot slots a go today?

The competition closes at the end of April and the winners will be announced by Friday 7th May 2010.

£3K Cash Giveaway

You will be singing in the rain if you are one of Gala Bingo’s daily £100 cash bonus winners, in our £3K Cash Giveaway!

To be in with a chance of winning this great prize all you have to do is simply play our Mini “Girls’ Night Out” scratchcard and stake £5 on the game and win or lose you will be entered into the daily prize draw.

It’s possible to qualify for all 30 daily £100 prize draws by just staking £5 on Mini Girls Night Out each day in April.

The winners board will be updated weekly with the names of the daily prize winners. Be sure to check it out to see if you have won! The competition closes at the end of April.

As a special Easter treat, Gala TV is welcoming Paul Ross back to the popular bingo channel on Good Friday to appear on a one-off celebrity bingo show.

Having co-presented Gala TV’s popular ‘Hollywood Bingo’ show in February, movie buff Paul will be back live on the interactive bingo channel, which is web-streamed at www.galabingo.com and broadcast on Sky and Freesat Channel 861, between 8-9pm hosting an hour of exciting bingo games as guest caller.

During the show he will also reveal what last month’s Hollywood Bingo prize draw winners got up to at the premier of new blockbuster Kick Ass. Then afterwards Paul will be in the Gala TV chatroom answering viewers’ questions on a range of topics including bingo and movies.

Paul Ross said: “I’m a huge bingo fan and used to be a bingo caller in my student days, so I’m really looking forward to coming back this Easter weekend. As well as giving away some great prizes I’ll also be giving advice afterwards in the chatroom on the latest ‘must see’ movies that are currently on at the cinema.”

Kevin Loman, Gala TV manager, said: “Paul was a huge hit with Gala TV viewers when he came in a few weeks ago to give us the inside scoop on the Oscars, so we’re excited to have him back. We hope he has lots more Hollywood gossip to share with us on Gala TV and in the chatroom!”

Gala TV awards 200,000 winners a year and gives away approximately £20,000 each night in prize money. Viewers can play bingo and a variety of side games through the web-stream or by simply using their remote control red button.

Easter came early in Merseyside when one lucky lady found she had won nearly £29k on leading online bingo site, galabingo.com.

Such a windfall would be a fantastic treat for any family but this has been extra special for this St Helen’s resident who wishes to remain anonymous, as it means she can book a trip of a lifetime and be reunited with her daughter in New Zealand.

The lucky winner, whose daughter has lived on the other side of the world for eight years, said: “We haven’t seen each other in five years and I am so excited about being reunited with her. Plus I’m over the moon as I will be able to see my beautiful grandchildren for the second time.”

She had been feeling lucky after winning £3 earlier in the evening, but it seemed £28,840.29 was to be her lucky number when she scooped the popular bingo site’s cash climber jackpot.

The ecstatic mum said: “I jumped up and shouted upstairs to my son. I just couldn’t believe my eyes as I thought it said £28 not £28,000! Things like this just don’t happen to me. This win really has changed my life! I can’t wait to go and see my daughter in New Zealand and without this money I would not have been able to go. It just goes to show that anyone can win at galabingo.com.”

Lesley Hall, online PR manager at galabingo.com said: “We are absolutely delighted to hear from the family who became of our 500,000 winners per month. We pay out over £65 million a year and it’s always lovely to hear stories about how winning on the site can make a difference to people’s lives. We hope the family really enjoy their trip to New Zealand this Easter.”

In an industry first, Gala Bingo will be printing all of its bingo books on certified Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) paper from early April 2010.

Gala Bingo is the first bingo company to address the environmental impact of its paper tickets and this green initiative sees Gala Bingo taking positive steps towards making its clubs more sustainable.

FSC certification guarantees the paper used for Gala Bingo’s ticket books is responsibly sourced from sustainable forests and helps consumers make socially and environmentally responsible purchasing decisions.

Dr Colin Morgan, Head of Corporate Responsibility for Gala Coral Group, said: “We are very pleased to have FSC certification for our paper-based bingo tickets. This is one of the many initiatives we have taken to ensure we are a more sustainable company. Our customers have been asking us for greener ways for them to enjoy their bingo and we are proud to again be a leader in the area of corporate responsibility in the leisure sector.”

He continued: “The move to FSC certified paper tickets is the latest in a number of steps we have taken to reduce our impact on the environment. Gala Bingo has set stretching targets in reducing its carbon emissions and the amount of waste sent to landfill and our customers can also recycle their bingo tickets after they have used them.”

The FSC tracks paper and wood material through each stage of the production process, all the way from the product to the consumer. The FSC:

• Prohibits the conversion of natural forests or other habitat around the world
• Prohibits the use of highly hazardous pesticides around the world
• Prohibits the cultivation of genetically modified trees (GMOs)
• Respects the rights of indigenous peoples around the world
• Controls each certified operation at least once a year

The new ticket books will be on sale in Gala Bingo clubs from early April 2010.

The promotion focuses players interest on the game of blackjack not bingo and offers fantastic prizes at the end of March. There is a £2,500 top prize at the end of the promotion for the player to have wagered the highest amount on blackjack  during March.

New depositing players at Gala Bingo are automatically entered into the blackjack tournament when a deposit of £10 is made.

£5,000 will be dished out to the top ten blackjack gamblers in this promotion after it is over. As well as the £2,500 top prize, there is a second prize of £1,000, a third prize of £650, a fourth prize of £250. The remaining players in the top ten will each receive £100 in their Gala Bingo account.

There is still time to get into the top ten and even if blackjack isn’t your game, there’s still chance to win one of the fantastic prizes as it is all about the amount you wager not the value of your winnings!

The deal would see Gala Coral, which also owns a string of bingo halls, casinos and 1,650 high street bookmakers in the U.K, fall under the control of its mezzanine finance providers, Apollo Management, Cerberus Capital Management, Goldman Sachs and Park Square Capital. Apollo Management will become the principal shareholder with around a quarter of the shares.

The current deal on the table would see a group of private investors taking on around £550m of mezzanine debt (a riskier type of debt). The investors would also boost the group with a £200m cash injection in return for a controlling stake in Gala Bingo. This would allow the company to free up some cash to keep the company running. The group hopes that the cash boost will mean that they won’t have to make the huge job cuts like they did last year, which included the scaling down of it’s land based bingo operation in Gala Bingo halls.

Last year, Gala Coral was forced to refinance after the smoking ban, the recession and big tax increases hit its bingo and casino businesses hard. Like many of its biggest rival companies, it has closed several venues and got rid of hundreds of workers.

Gala bingo, somewhat contrary to its financial struggle, is still performing well in the online bingo market. With a great array of  games and a high deposit bonus the online bingo site is certainly giving players an excellent deal to play at Gala Bingo.