The G in Leicester – sits right next to the main shopping centre. It tells quite a story that, of the 19 Gala casinos that Grosvenor bought, this was the first one to be turned into one of their “G” brand – it’s a huge site.
One thing that’ll also no doubt be upgraded will be the horrendous coin payout on the slots, which is a huge pain. As it happens I cleaned out one of their machines – don’t get too jealous, it was only a £68 payout – and had to call the engineer geezer over, who then refilled the machine hopper so it could payout the remaining £2 of my win. Nobody needs that sort of hassle.
Anyway, it’s a split level casino, with slots , some electronic roulette and a bar on the ground floor (as well as a murky looking lounge area with plenty of TVs). Once you go up the stairs, the main casino opens up, and it’s a good size, with about 14 gaming tables plus a large poker area with another 12 tables. The restaurant is on this level, as is another bar (the Epernay bar – who thinks of these names ?)
The place as a whole works very well, with an open feeling about it, and it certainly was busy when I visited. It can’t have been the promotion they had on, which must rank as the crappiest promo of all time – you get a ticket which you put on a number on the roulette table, and if that number comes in you win £10. Now correct me if I’m wrong, but offering a 28p free bet, essentially, isn’t going to change too many people’s behaviour – if that’s enough to get you to visit a casino, you probably shouldn’t be allowed to gamble at all!
Nonetheless, it has a nice feel about the place. The toilets are a long drag up another flight of stairs from the main floor, although there are more on the ground level. I even saw a majestic bit of one handed texting from a gent at a urinal – who says men can’t multitask – and as I walked out back to the main floor I was shocked to see a stunningly handsome man walking towards me, only to realise it was a strategically placed mirror. Good for checking for dribblies and undone flies ….
