There’s something irresistibly glamorous about casinos. From James Bond in Casino Royale to the Rat Pack in Ocean’s Eleven, living it up beneath the bright lights of Vegas, the image is of silver-tongued charmers in tuxedos pushing piles of chips towards ice-cool croupiers, spinning the shiny roulette with their long red talons. Casinos can be places of high drama, with fortunes won and lost well into the night.

I’d only ever been in a casino once before. It was in Gibraltar several years ago; I remember being mesmerised by the sharp-suited high rollers playing serious big money games. It was a glamorous, intense place and, for someone who’d never set foot in a casino, pretty intimidating. Research by Gala Casinos has revealed that 52 per cent of people living in Bradford see going to a casino as something outside their comfort zone.

“A real anxiety of not knowing how to play the games would stop a quarter of people from going along to a casino,” says a spokeswoman. “Not knowing what to expect, being unsure of how to play the games, and a misconception that casinos are dark, Bond villain-esque places are all major factors preventing Bradford people from giving casinos a try.”

Gala Casinos are aiming to take the mystique out of the casino world by providing free taster sessions on what is described as the world’s only casino-on-wheels. The Casino Magic Bus has been touring the country, and when it rolled into Bradford I jumped on board for a lesson from Chris Heap, hospitality manager at the Gala Casino in Bradford.

“Only a small percentage of people have set foot in a casino,” says Chris. “There’s this perception that everyone seems to know what they’re doing and if you’re not used to it you’ll feel intimidated and a little scared. It can be daunting to walk in and see lots of gaming tables.

“The aim of the Casino Magic Bus is to provide an insight into what goes on in a casino and to familiarise people with some of the games. There’s a team of croupiers on hand to give people a taster of roulette and blackjack. The great thing about Casino Magic is it breaks down the barriers, it’s all about fun.”

From the outside it’s just a bus, but inside it’s like walking into a Monaco casino, albeit a scaled-down version.

The main taster games are blackjack and roulette. “They’re quite easy to pick up and are the games most people play,” explains Chris.

I’ve played cards since childhood – there’s not much else to do on a wet afternoon in a caravan on the East coast, which is where I spent countless weekends – but I never really got beyond rummy, Chase The Lady or The Golden Egg. So when Chris tells me that Casino Brag is basically poker I look at him blankly. I don’t have a clue how to play it but, under Chris’s guidance, I give it a go. I’m playing against the dealer, Mark Rowbotham, who flicks the cards apart and back together at the speed of light.

To win I need a pair, a run (two, three, four or five) or a flush (all the same suit). I push forward a couple of chips – a £2 bet – and, even though I’m not entirely sure what I’m doing, I win the grand sum of £6! I have a pair of twos. To my surprise, I win again on my next go – this time £18 – with a straight run of two, three and four. Mark explains it all as I go along and, with time, I think I could get the hang of it and play more confidently.

Next I have a go at roulette; players place bets on either a number, a range of numbers, the colour red or black or whether it’s an odd or even number. I choose the number 12, black, even. Mark spins the wooden wheel in one direction and the shiny ball in the other, I watch as it eventually slows down from a blur – and lands on number 12. Lady Luck is on my side today!

Despite being studied by mathematicians and scientists, the consensus is that there’s no shrewd tactic-playing involved with playing roulette – it’s down to pure luck.

Next I sit with Chris at the blackjack table, big enough for three people to play against a dealer. Anyone who plays pontoon will know the aim is to beat the dealer’s hand by trying to get as close as possible to 21 without going over. As I’m pushed for time we don’t get chance to play but I pick up the rules and I reckon I could hold my own in a game or two.

I’m pleasantly surprised to find the rules of casino games aren’t as complicated as I’d thought, and there are croupiers on hand to explain everything in layman’s terms. There are no Bond villains lurking about, no complicated games involving huge piles of chips and no pretension. The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly.

With the credit crunch biting hard, people may not have spare cash to splash on games, but entry to the bus is free and anyone using it is handed a £10 betting voucher. Bets in the casino start at 10p. Minimum bets on the roulette are 50p and for blackjack it’s £1.

But Chris says the casino experience isn’t all games. “People don’t have to come in to game, it’s a social place. We have entertainment, prize draws, a 50-seater restaurant, or you can chill out with a drink. You don’t have to be a member to come here, as long as you’re over 18,” he says. “It’s not all high rollers – there are Casino Magic tables so people who aren’t familiar with games can try them out. It’s a safe, well-supervised environment.”

Gala Casino is owned by the Gala Coral Group, the first company to receive full GamCare accreditation across its four UK divisions; Coral, Gala Bingo, Gala Casino and E Commerce.

  • For more about the Casino Magic Bus visit the website at casinomagicbus.com. For more about Gala Casino, at the Leisure Exchange, Vicar Lane, Bradford, ring (01274) 303010.