I can't stand casinos, but a couple of times I've found myself dragged here in the early hours…read moreafter works nights out - and since this place opens until 6am (although the bar shuts at 3am) I'm sure it has attracted plenty of others who aren't quite ready to go home after the clubs shut. Cardiff isn't exactly overflowing with casinos, and I think this is the only one in the city - so it's here or nowhere if you like that kind of thing! You have to be a member to get in, unless you're a guest of another member - it's free to join, and anyone over 18 can apply. When I went there, they sorted out the photo and membership card there and then for us - but I have only hazy recollections of the details, so can't elaborate much more than that. What I can remember about the place is that there were lots of comfy lounge-style chairs, a few lecherous gentlemen, a few drunken younger groups gambling small amounts for fun, and plenty of smart businessmen going about their more serious gambling pursuits. The casino has lots of the classic games such as Roulette, Black Jack, Mah'Jong, and Poker - and there were also staff bringing around trays of free sandwiches and hot food, which was pretty welcome at that time of the night/morning! Even though I loathe casinos, I'm giving this 3 stars in a bid to be fair, because as small-city casinos go I'm sure it's fine!

I was sad to see Les Croupiers leave the city centre. I'm not a massive casino fan, as I know the…read morevery basics of probability and realise that if I stood a significant chance of winning, the place wouldn't be able to stay in business for very long. Despite this, I just keep getting dragged back to them at ridiculous o' clock in the morning. When you've gone out after working all day, and you're feeling tired, and sweaty, and drunk, and sleepy and still your friends just want to carry on with the night despite the fact that it's six am and we've just been kicked out of the last chance saloon (Club X), you really don't have much of an alternative. You're too invested in the night to go home by that point, and even if you could escape, you'd be THAT guy on the bus. No! There's only one thing for it. To the casino! Les Croupiers had one thing over everywhere else though. When it opened, it knew exactly what its customers wanted: hot, free food, brought by waiters who were too polite to wake someone if he was happily passed out after his ninth free ham sandwich. And I loved them for that. I wish them all the best in their new location, and having been once since, I can affirm it's every bit as entertaining to watch your friends blow all their money in Leckwith as it is in town. Les Croupiers: I salute you!

I'm not going to lie to you, I don't like gambling so I'm never going to give a casino 5 stars…read more This is in fact one of only two or three casino's that I have been to in this country. The problem is that I was taken to Las Vegas when I was about 16 and the noise was enough to put me off for life, but also its made me very disappointed when I have visited a casino's here. Grosvenor is typical of my disappointment. Its huge, and brightly lit and lacks any kind of atmosphere that I really expect from a casino. I know they do it to keep people awake, but its dull for anyone who doesn't having a gambling addiction. The other thing about this place is that they have random karaoke type entertainment that reminds me of being in Butlins. Oh and the drinks are ridiculously expensive too, but i'd rather waste my money getting drunk!

I love to play poker. And sick of the standard fare pub poker nights, decided to go for the casino…read moreexperience and something a little bit more fancy. I've been fairly regular here over the years, and it's certainly getting less and less popular. About a year or two ago, the poker room was booming, with about 50 or 60 entrants on average and big money wins for top ten finishers. My most recent (and probably last) visit here though saw only 9 people show up, meaning we all sat down for a cash game rather than a full tournament. It was sad to see and rather disappointing, as they don't really advertise anywhere or promote the tournaments in any way. I haven't seen this casino full in a long time though. This is probably just a sign of the times though and to be honest, is probably a good thing, as you are less likely to drunkenly blow that £100 you've been saving if there's none of the hustle and bustle of a booming casino. Onto the other games, and they generally have everything you'd expect - roulette, blackjack, slots etc. These aren't really my thing to be honest but I've had a dabble and the dealers are friendly and decent enough to chat to. The Grosvenor also used to be my main port of call if I ever missed the last train back to Bridgend. It's open 24 hours which is good and we had free tea and coffee for a couple of hours until our next train. Being more of an upstanding, responsible adult nowadays though, it's been a while since I've tried this but worth a punt as a last resort!

Cashino! Cashino! Well of course there's a Cashino! On Albany Road. There has to be! It's on the…read moresection of street that is moving away from Wellfield Road and heading toward the less salubrious City Road part of town. There's one thing that you can guarantee in economically depressed areas, or less desirable residential areas that have a commercial section, you will always find a betting shop or a 'penny arcade'. These places trade on the desperate hopes and aspirations for a better life of the people in the areas where they are situated. It ensures that the poor stay poor, and the fat cats that own these rip-off chains get even fatter... who cares about the misery, I'm alright jack! Here's one I made earlier... Cashino: Cowbridge Road East, Cardiff. CF11 9ND Cashino! How naff is that? I often take objection to business names that play on words and ideas, ultimately mutilating our language like a blood-thirsty surgeon with a blunt blade, or, business owners, in their desperate effort to come up with something that they deem to be 'clever', who seem bent on following a dubious process that lures them ever further from what is sensible, finally spewing them out at a destination clearly signposted 'Beyond The Pale'. But these poor frazzled souls are so wrapt by their own intelligence and imagination, and are so exhausted by their cerebral odyssey, that they have no more mental faculty to realise that they have been blithely venturing firmly into the realms of bad taste. The worst example of this that I have ever come across is in Bristol; a card and gift shop named Cardiac! Nevertheless, Cashino really works... it even makes me smile. Who cares that you need to develop a speech impediment in order to say it right? Or that it doesn't actually reveal whose cash they are talking about... leaving it so open to interpretation that you could actually believe that it is 'their' cash that is about to enter your pocket should you opt to step inside to play the slots, with lady luck on your arm ... Well, I'm going to let you into a secret... it's actually your cash that they are talking about, and it's going to end up in their pocket! But, for your pains, you will have had an addiction-inducing rush of endorphins that will ensure that you come back before too long to feed the hungry one arm bandits again.

The Castle Bingo hall on Newport Road in Cardiff is certainly an impressive sight form the outside!…read moreIt is very easily accessible to all, but, in my mind is one of the least nice of the halls, despite the warm welcome. Inside the hall it all feels decidedly 90's. Phoenix Nights and other such images spring to mind, as well as caravan holidays in Cornwall. But there is something annoyingly addictive and competitive about bingo. And still I manage to enjoy it every time. I'm not really a massive fan of bingo, but I've been to this place a couple of times and have had pretty nice evenings out, if I have to admit it (which I guess I do, really!). This is, as most of you already know, not really a young person's kind of scene. But despite this, if you go along with the right attitude (slightly crazed) and the right group of people (slightly crazed), then you're guaranteed a night you'll remember.

Castle Bingo on Newport Road is, arguably, the flagship bingo hall for our fair city. Nestled in…read morejust off the main road, tucked behind a petrol station, the building looms up in front of you, all glinting metal and reflective glass. I'll be honest. It looks like something out of Orwell's 1984. Simultaneously terrifying and impressive, and the carpet matches the drapes. The place is massive. It looks like they've tried to recreate that Las Vegas casino experience, where you enter the grand double doors and are greeted with the sight of pure affluence, ground down into its component molecules and then dusted across every surface you can see, but only had a modicum of the budget. And they've actually managed to do pretty well for themselves. They have a wide selection of games and slots to whittle away the hours of the day with, with constant offers and special games going on around you. And it's my nan's favourite place; that's high praise. They say you've got to write what you know, which is why four reviews into my Yelp experience, I'm currently on my third bingo hall review. I need a drink.

avoid this cinema at all costs if you're actually interested in watching a film. I brought my two…read moreyoung cousins to see moana couple of weeks ago. I had to complain four times before anything was done. the three children that were supposed to be sat behind us were running up and down the aisle to the screen, fighting on the floor, shouting, swinging on the end of my seat in my face for forty minutes. lots of other kids shouting throughout the film and another lady complained as kids were throwing sweets at her. there was a queue of people complaining and asking for refunds because the film was ruined. we had to leave after 40 minutes because we barely had seen any of the film because of the disruption. I come to your cinema very often, almost weekly sometime twice a week, I've spent £300 on tickets alone on tickets this year and I've never in my life seen anything like it. I've been put off ever going to a first showing of a film to avoid this experience again. we now have to wait a few days to avoid this type of behaviour but will have to go and watch again as they were so disappointed. I've wasted my time and money and has left me with a sour taste in my mouth that people can behave so atrociously. there should have been more done to stop this behaviour and all I got from your company was an email saying you show videos at the start of the film to tell people how to behave. Please avoid this cinema if you're an actual movie enthusiast.

As far as all the Cinemas in Cardiff go, this is the best! It has everything a cinema should have:…read moreLots of screens, an IMAX cinema, sweets, popcorn and drinks. If you are ever stuck for something to do down Cardiff Bay and a film your desperate to see is out then go there and enjoy a nice cinema experience. I visit on multiple occasions because I like the whole look and atmosphere of the cinema. Some of the employees who work there are very lovely and do not mind going out of there way to help you. I have been in a number of situations where the service comes out top every time. However, it can get very pricey in there. They do offer student discount providing you have your card or they have certain discounts depending on what day. If you have their loyalty card it's 25% off Tuesdays and they offer 'Orange Wednesday's' too. It can get extremely busy in there too with big releases so you should always book in advance if you want a good seat. You can also select you seat if you're willing to pay £1 extra, if you do then that seat is reserved for you and you can arrive for your film whenever you want. Odeon is a wonderful cinema to visit. With their IMAX screen it remains to be the most popular cinema in Cardiff. If you really want to treat yourself then pay for the V.I.P area upstairs (over 18's only) and receive the ultimate experience. Unlimited nachos, soft drinks and popcorn? Yes Please!

The only time that I ever placed a bet or two on a horse at a betting shop I really messed it up. I…read moresimply chose the colours that I like, or the horses name that had a ring to it and handed over my money... easy! Then we returned home to watch the racing on the tele. It was all quite exciting really, as we'd got a load of mates round... and so when they started putting the horses in the stalls for the first race, we were already getting pretty vocal... by that I mean, everyone else was getting rather vocal. I was sat silently waiting for my horse to show up... it never did! In the next race it was the same story, as well as the one after that... In time, I began to protest audibly about having been swizzed... that's when someone explained that if a horse has the letters NR next to it in the newspaper it means that it's a none-runner! This outlet of Ladbrokes is better than many of the others. It is clean and reasonably well cared for, not that I suppose this matters too much to the men they regularly frequent it.

We usually stay at this hotel when we visit the UK centrally located for our needs. Rooms are OK a…read morelittle on the small side but clean only real complaint is that they do not have any A/C. Staff are pleasant, good breakfast buffet, dinner menu typical hotel fare.

I've been a member of the Village Hotel Health & Fitness Club for longer than you'd think if you…read morelooked at my waistline. The facilities are clean, the staff helpful, and the pool is truly nice. They have a lot of good classes, which, sadly, are often so booked up with eager yoga-ists, Pilates-fans and Zumba- enthusiasts that we stretch, strain and Zumba into our nearest neighbour. Luckily all with good grace and a smile and, as far as I know, no major fallings-out or injuries. The latest offerings are as diverse as walking clubs, wine tasting and poker (obviously the whole health thing might be slipping a tad). There are a number of membership options starting from around £40 per month, which if I go three times a week works out at cheaper than attending classes elsewhere. Then, I can destroy all my good work by wandering into the café or bar afterwards.