Gala's Customer Service Gets In The Zone

With the recently announced cap on regional casinos, British operator Gala is singing the praises of the large definition of future venue as defined by the government in its Gambling Bill.

Covering more than 27,000 sq ft over three floors and 30 tables, its latest venue in Leicester, in the heart of England, is poised to take advantage of the liberalisation of gaming laws and offer itself as an alternative to other entertainment offerings in the city.

The new player is undoubtedly the key to the new era, but courting their leisure time is only part of the battle and retaining the interest of the existing player poses an intricate balancing act.

Nick Potter, managing director of Gala Casinos, explained how the flow around the new casino aimed to keep one happy. "We want to have our cake and eat it," he revealed. "Of course, we need to find new customers, be they couples, groups, people on their own or even light spenders. But we want to be able to accommodate all of them and for them not to grate on each other. So we're creating distinct and familiar zones in the casino, not rooms, but an open plan environment marked out through light and colour."

Furthest away from the entrance is an elevated high-stakes gaming area, while the zone nearest the door is designed specifically to be less serious in order to attract people who may not have much casino experience.

"It's traditional gaming but with softer and easier layouts," said Potter. "And there is also a difference in how it is serviced. Staff are trained to deal with people who may never have played before, to be very friendly and helpful and teach the games if necessary. Our strategy is to build casinos that start to be seen as accessible, something that represents a bit of fun with few barriers, more colour and exciting designs," he added. "We want our new builds to have some fun and bubble about them."

One of the innovations in Gala's recent openings has been the inclusion of a gaming lounge, very much away from the gaming floor. Here, punters can sit together and have a drink and also play live roulette on remote terminals or watch sport on the large flatscreen monitors on the walls. It is hoped, eventually, guests will also be able to use the terminals on the tables to place sports bets.