If you're out at Fountain Park and you're killing time before your film or waiting for your lane at…read morethe bowling alley, this is quite a fun way to waste half an hour. The orange and purple décor doesn't do it many favours as far as I'm concerned, but on the plus side it's much bigger than the only other casino I know of in Edinburgh, on Queen Street. I only ever really play on roulette or black jack, but I did see loads of other poker tables, as well as a whole load of other ones for games I've never even heard of. I went once with my boyfriend for the package deal that Fountain Park offers: it was something like £13 for a 2 Course meal in the Casino's restaurant, and voucher for a free spin of the roulette wheel and a cinema ticket for a film of your choice. There's no denying it was great value for money, given that a film would have cost almost £7 on its own otherwise, but the restaurant was by far the worst part of the deal. The food was bang average, and the waitress didn't have a clue. Good for frittering away your student loan, not good for eating.

nowhere sums up the dizzying highs and the terrible, crushing lows of modern life better than the…read morecasino. A few lucky rolls at roulette and you're James Bond, ten minutes later, you're walking home in the rain, angry, depressed, and having lost every last penny in your account. Whilst most casino punters are drunk, it's when visiting sober that the cold callousness of the system really hits you. The draining of colour from an addict's face as his chips, and next month's mortgage payments disappear is counteracted by dead-eyed indifference on the part of the croupier. Not always pleasant, but fascinating. Still. if you know your limits and treat it more as entertainment than a means of making money, you'll have a riot.

While some casinos can be depressing because you witness a broken middle aged man throwing away his…read morefamily life, his house and earnings on the roulette at 3am, Cashino is somewhat different. Here the customers have little to lose, except their filthy bedsits and dole money, in unshakeably grim surroundings. Thus the depression comes from knowing you are sharing breathing space with the very lowest form of human life. Venues like this are usually operated by seedy criminals, and this atmosphere permeates through the place, where drug deals amd stolen DVDs are exchanged between the gutter dwelling punters. A fairly grim experience then, but in some ways fascinating.

The food here is nothing special, and not that great. While the set menu is a decent deal with…read morelarge amount of choice, I found the Calarami to be over-fried, and the pasta to be over-sauced. The burger was also very bland. The atmosphere was quite nice, although completely dead. The service was friendly but nothing special. There is free unlimited soda, but it's Pepsi. The alcoholic drinks are nice but expensive. The casino was nice, but not very big, they've got a nice selection of slot machines and tables.

I went in here with my big brother a few weeks back after the pub. I'd never been much of a fan of…read moregambling, but must admit that after a few succesful rounds of blackjack, I felt like one of those poker players on TV with the sunglasses and excessively crass jewellry. As long as you know when to stop frittering your money away, it's brilliant. We were lucky in that £20 got us a couple of hours each and we still left about even, but be careful or you could easily end up in the gutter, drinking methylated spirits and fighting yourself.

Why do you taunt me so, Gala Casino? I was happy to wander home soon after a club had closed,…read moreperhaps stopping for a bite or two along the way. That was until I somehow stumbled inside, and became a member of this vast casino. Now after nights out, I continue the party here, spending cash that I don't have on flashy roulette, or blackjack. After being dragged inside by a friend, who I soon lost to the betting crowds, I somehow found my way to the bar, and stocked up on cheap booze. I then found my friend again who was well into a game of roulette ("I'm £30 up... waaaay...oh...wait... no. I just lost that. Crap."), which entertained me for several minutes, before I found myself wishing to bet, which I ended up doing. An hour later, and £20 richer, we left. Happier, richer, and drunker. That's why I joined.

Front desk staff were great, bar staff were great, on floor staff were great, however a bouncer I…read morewalked past on my way back up the stairs, after going out for a cigarette was not so nice. I was refused to be allowed back in to retrive personal belongings I had left upstairs, because in his opinion I was too drunk. He said the stairs were a heath and safety hazard, as I was drunk, so I suggested that we use the lift to retrieve my belongings. He then suggested I may be able to assult or accuse him of assault in the lift, as there were no cameras, so that was not an option. I was told to leave my name and phone number for someone to get back to me so I could retrive my personal belongings, but I have had no one attempt to contact me. This is not the first time I've seen trouble with this bouncer. He told my friend he had had too much and I was fine 5 years ago, on that night my friend was completely sober (my friend was english and I believe this man may have some disciminatory tendincies). The bouncer is a tall, bald white man, who chews spearmint chewing gum.

Rarely go to casinos in this part of town…read more drunken evenings we normally ends up in one, spending money that we will regret in the morning. The woman on reception was incredibly helpful to this non member, got me started and I headed up with my friends Place was busy for a Friday night however plenty of empty tables, just no team manning them, headed to the bar, got a watermelon cocktail and tried to get a table Nope no luck - no seats available, sat down, ordered another drink. Still no available places So - we all left They just didn't have enough croupiers on to cater for the business! First times I've left a casino cause they didn't want my money!

I'm not a gambler but I was here a few months ago as a friend hired out a hall in this casino for a…read morebirthday party and I had a great night. A few friends played a couple of games of roulette but no big wins, it's a slippery slope! It is very modern with plush comfy sofas, and there's even cushions! I was really surprised by how pretty it was inside and I would have liked some of the decor for my own home. The toilets were also immaculate, very stylish and they had full length mirrors so you can check your dress isn't tucked into your pants, classy. My favourite thing in this casino are the verandas which give you stunning views across the Clyde, you can see the Science Centre and the Glasgow Tower in the background which are lit up at night, you can also see all the city lights reflected across the water and it looks beautiful. I guess it's very rarely that the Clyde is described as beautiful but honestly the views from here are amazing and really show the city at its best. I've attached some pictures as proof of how pretty it is.

Alea is a lot bigger than the Gala casinos that I have been to also. I sadly no longer expect…read moreCasinos to be full of spy's and woman with feathers in their hair and glittery dresses, Gala killed that dream. I would say that Alea is definitely a step in the right direction, being much better in terms of value, game, and experience than Gala. Being much bigger, you can trail round different rooms while losing your money rather than staying in the same place. And it is open ALL NIGHT!! Why I do not yet know but this has got to be a positive, maybe poker is one of those things that wakes you up in the middle of the night. Lets be honest we know it does, but I don't think the dress code would allow PJ's. Free entry, just pay as you gamble. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I've never been the betting type, mainly because I have no idea how to do it. Odds, ten to one,…read moreevens, all this jargon is wasted on me. I can't even grasp Bingo properly so I figured all hope was lost for me in my gambling career. That was until I started noticing the buzz around the Grand National, and wanted to try and place a bet on one of the horses. Even if I didn't understand, I might still get a few quid out of it through sheer luck! My boyfriend came with me, and we got our betting slips and sat down in front of one of the many tv sets in this branch of Betfred. It is quite a big shop, with two roulette machines and plenty of seating to sit and catch the races. I decided on 'Hello Bud' and 'Flintoff', and put a £2 on them both each way, which meant that I would win if they came 1st, 2nd or 3rd. It cost an extra £2 each, and the maximum win was £104! I crossed my fingers as I collected my slip and went to work. Turns out I didn't win. My horse actually fell! Gutting. My jammy boyfriend put £1 on the winner though, so he got about £60 back! I owuld definitely come here again if I ever get the gamblers itch; nice shop, helpful staff and great facilities and information available.