Google: What is Glasgow famous for? Answers include: being the largest city in Scotland. One of the world’s friendliest cities. Historic architecture. Popular filming location. But casinos? The jury is out on that one.

In my journey to explore quality casinos throughout the UK, my latest venture sees me head to the beyond ‘the north’, as I venture across the border to Scotland. To be more specific, Glasgow (if it wasn’t already obvious). And on this occasion, it’s the Alea Casino I’ve got in my sights. So, what games are provided, are members rewarded, and how do you get there? These and many more big questions about the venue get answered in this Glasgow Alea Casino review.

For me, getting to Glasgow meant taking a seven-hour train journey. It also meant I would need to stay beyond one day so that I could review more than just the Alea Casino on my visit. This isn’t the only show in town – not by any stretch! 

The Quay area in Glasgow also comes with a cinema, restaurants, bowling, and an events venue. 

Getting here by train means you can hop on the subway and get off at Sheilds Road subway station, which isn’t far at all. Alternatively, arrive at the Glasgow Central Station and walk over one of the Clyde bridges, and it’s less than a mile by foot from there.

For a casino of its size, you get everything you’d expect here. Options available at the Alea Glasgow Casino include American roulette, blackjack, three card poker, real money slots, and a selection of electronic roulette games. 

One game that stands out that I’ve not seen in any other land-based casino is the Dreamcatcher. Don’t get me wrong - I’ve seen it at plenty of online casinos, as it’s a live gameshow. It appears online as a first-person digital game, which is exactly how it’s played here too. The Dreamcatcher is a wheel of fortune-type game developed by multi-award-winning software company Evolution. 

Perfect for Poker

The venue hosts poker tournaments every day. You get Monday Monster Stack, Jackpot Tuesdays, Wednesday Thirty-Five, Thursday Double Chance, Friday Fifty, Super Saturday, and Sunday Soother. I was too late for the Friday tournament as this began at 7:00pm. But the poker room certainly held its atmosphere in the wake of it. 

Alea Casino also provides a live poker service called Bravo Poker, which I have seen before. If you download the free Bravo Poker app on your Android or iOS mobile, you can take part in the gaming going on at Alea Casino remotely whenever you cannot make it down to the venue. 

Casino Layout

There were nine poker tables in use on the ground floor. There were also electronic roulette terminals available in this spot. On the other side of the room were pool tables, which then went around to the sports bar area. Up on the first floor, you only have a lounge area with a smokers balcony, but no games. Rising to the second floor, you can access a little over 20 slot machines. Games here include the Fort Knox progressive jackpot, which pays out on slot games like Lucky Beans™, West Journey Treasure Hunt™, and Wild Wolf™. If you visit UK slot sites regularly, all these names will be familiar.

On this top floor you’ll also find other electronic machines, along with six American roulette tables, and give blackjack tables. I do not recall seeing any baccarat table, again, it was impressively busy so I may just have missed it. But I’ll have to mark it down as unavailable, nonetheless. 

My observations of the game machines and tables were that they were in good condition. Not all electronic games were switched on and some of the seats did show signs of wear and tear.

VIP and Packages

The casino does have a VIP lounge; however it doesn’t have games in this area. I think it was more for a private area to sit down and drink. For the players experiencing a casino for the first time, Alea does offer learn-to-play packages for you and your friends. This includes how to play blackjack and offers roulette classes, each taking 40 minutes with one of the casino’s professional dealers. 

There is no on-site accommodation, but there are options. 

The hotel of choice, for me, is the Ibis Budget. And that’s because I prefer to save my spends for the casinos. Have to say, I’m a fan of their shower pod. The Ibis is located within the Springfield Quay where the casino is. It’s less than a 5-minute walk from door to door. 

If you were looking for somewhere with a few more stars on the rating, there’s the Village Hotel a bit up the road, nearer the Science Centre.

From the outside, the casino looks mightily impressive. A huge white modern building by the river does have an air of elegance about it. My arrival was late, the time just after 8:00pm. I was greeted by security staff who checked my ID on the way in – always a compliment - and I later had to show this again at reception. Entry is free and the dress code was smart casual. Clearly I met that brief. 

The venue is massive and spread over three enormous floors. When you arrive, you can pick up a map which directs you to where the games and facilities are. When you walk in, the scale immediately hits you as you enter onto an open floor with escalators and stairs. 

Smoking: For smokers, the venue provides a smoking balcony which is on the first floor at the top of the stairs and escalators. There are other balcony areas on level two next to the poker tables and slot machines.

Customer Service: The staff on hand controlled their tables very, very well. It was hard to engage with them because the venue was so busy. I might add that this was a Friday night, so I just focused on what I could.

Free drinks: I was interested to see if this place offered free drinks. Well, interestingly enough, free drinks are provided to players who play between the hours of 10:00am and 4:00pm. However, the free wet lunch is limited to include non-alcoholic beverages. 

Food and drinks: When it comes to food and drink you’d pay for, the Alea Casino Glasgow provides several services. Options include the Waterfront Restaurant, The Long Bar, and the Sports Bar. The venue also boasts some of the best cocktails in Glasgow, should it be of interest. I didn’t experience any of the culinary delights having gorged on too many Maltesers on the seven-hour train journey. But the restaurant is highly awarded.

Cash machines: ATMs are on site should you need to top up your time at the games and tables. I believe these machines also come without hidden fees, which is always a bonus. 

Accessibility: For players with wheelchairs, you have lift access that covers the two upper gaming floors. Disabled toilets are also provided throughout the building.

Besides games, food, and drink, what benefits are there to becoming a member of such a casino? Well, the Alea Casino in Glasgow is part of the Metropolitan Gaming Corporation, which I have been acquainted with at numerous casinos up and down the country. This means users of this casino can claim a Met Card onsite - something that also gives them access to the Met Gaming online casino.

With the Met Card, players can earn benefits and discounts within the land based casinos and online. This usually includes things like discounts on food and drinks. There are also invites to special events, and you can garner enough Met Points to unlock free gaming once certain levels are reached. 

Obtaining the MetCard is 100% free and you can register for one online at either the Metropolitan Gaming website or via the Alea Casino website. In terms of bonuses and promotions, the Alea Glasgow doesn’t have any that compare to the kinds of deals you will find online, especially if you're comparing with some of the huge giveaways at new online casinos. This is a standard for a lot of high street casinos. Food discounts yes, but you won’t get any help when it comes to the money in your pocket or bankroll.

So how did my Friday evening at one of the best casinos in Glasgow go down? All in all, pretty damn well actually.

Excellent for Atmosphere

Inside of this rather grand casino, there was a hive of activity. It was the busiest casino I had been to in a good while, yet I was taken aback by the fact the noise levels were fairly reasonable. When it came to the cleanliness of the venue, I have to say that the staff did exceptionally well. Given the number of players at the time, you’d expect some mess or a stray tissue on the floor, but no, it was immaculate. 

Missing Games

I think the size of the casino also helps with the atmosphere. Everything is well spread out. The bars are tucked away, and there are enough staff on hand to provide help and assistance. However, I do feel there are not enough games. Slot, roulette, blackjack, and poker are all there is to play here.  The first floor, which offers nothing but lounge space, could be an area for a few more slots. With no baccarat and no craps tables, the casino just provides the basics. 

I think there are enough tables for the crowds, but one thing that I’m noticing is that a lot of casinos provide players with the worst kind of roulette. American roulette is not player-friendly and of all the variants of roulette that there are, American roulette is the worst. In my opinion, at least.

⭐ Standout Moment

A common theme with casinos where there is one – the poker room was top notch. A tournament had finished not long before, but the crowds certainly stuck around. 

Given that this was my first foray into the Springfield Quay area of Glasgow, it turns out to be a pretty easy to get to. The location is very good because of all the other amenities in the area. The Quay has plenty of free parking for those who wish to drive here. Getting here by foot isn’t a great mission, it’s how I arrived, though I could have easily got a taxi from the Glasgow Central Station. 

The casino is good. It’s spread over three floors, though it’s really two. I enjoyed the games, and it's made clear that the RTP here compares well against the best payout casinos online. The staff were great, the venue was busy, and I really have little negative to say about my experience. There isn’t too much about the Alea Casino Glasgow that makes it truly unique, though its setting and the building itself is pretty impressive. Best of all, having vacated the casino just after 11:00pm, there was only the briefest of walks back to the hotel. 

Would I return? You know what? If I’m ever summoned to Glasgow again, then I absolutely would. However, I wouldn’t be putting myself through another seven-hour train journey for it alone. 

Those travelling in by car would be mad not to use the free onsite parking, and G5 8NP is the postcode you’ll need. You can also use a bus to get here from other parts of Glasgow. The number 38 goes to Springfield Quay every 5 minutes from Paisley Road West and Glasgow Road.

Those arriving into Glasgow Central railway station have the option of a short walk over the Clyde to reach the casino. But you could also hop on Glasgow’s subway network at St Enochs just outside the station, then off again at Shields Road. That brings the walk time down a fair bit.

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