Gala Bingo calls £5m ad pitch

consumer brands including Gala Bingo, Gala Online Gaming, Gala Casinos
and Eurobet, as well as undisclosed launches.

The review follows last October's merger between Gala Bingo and the
bookmaker, Coral Eurobet, in a deal worth £2.2 billion. It comes
as the group attempts to drive sales growth ahead of a possible initial
public offering next year.

In August, Gala's chief executive, Neil Goulden, told the Financial
Times that he expected the company to float for at least £5
billion after around two years of growth.

Howe joined Gala in 2004. She was a former ad agency senior executive,
with posts at Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO and Leo Burnett.

One of her first actions in the Gala job was to appoint Tequila\ to the
company's £7 million direct marketing account, following a pitch
against Triangle and Poulter Partners. VCCP was appointed to Gala
Bingo's creative account last September without a pitch. The agency was
behind Gala Bingo's "insane" TV spot, which broke in June of this
year.

The campaign runs with the strapline: "Where more people who win go,"
and aims to highlight the amount of money that can be won daily, and the
variety of games available at Gala Bingo Halls.

Leo Burnett had handled the business since the end of 2001.

Gala is the UK's largest bingo operator and the market leader, with 32
million admissions every year and a 40 per cent share of the market. The
group operates 166 bingo halls and boasts six million members.

The controversial relaxation of Britain's gaming laws has helped to
transform Gala into the country's biggest private company, with sales of
£7.4 billion.

Tequila\'s hold on the business is not thought to be affected by the
creative pitch; neither is Mediavest Manchester's handling of media
planning and buying.

Gala was unavailable to comment on the story.