South Africa Casinos

Gambling in South Africa

The casinos of South Africa are a sight to behold. Casinos were banned in 1965 and were accepted again in 1994 when the new democratic government took power. In the year before the National Gambling Act was instituted in 1996, it is estimated that as many as 2,000 illegal casinos were still in operation, largely ignored by the Apartheid government. That all changed along with the sanctioning of a national lottery and the reclassification of horse racing from a sporting activity to gambling. Perhaps the most legendary South African casino is Sun City. It was established in 1979 in Bophuthatswana, which the former government considered an independent state at the time, so it was not subject to the Gambling Act of 1965.

The National Gambling Act of 1996 authorized 40 casino licenses and dealt with regulatory, compliance, tax, and other matters. Two additional licenses were approved later. Outside of the casinos, there are as many as 50,000 so-called limited payout machines in the country. More than a quarter of all South African adults play slots at least once in any given year. Casinos are situated nearly everywhere in the country except the broad interior west of Bloemfontein and along the coast north of Cape Town. Most of them can be found in the population centers with Johannesburg and the outlying area having the greatest concentration of them.

Casinos in South Africa

Along the eastern coast, you'll find the Wild Coast Sun Resort & Casino near Durban on the Indian Ocean coast and flanked by the Umtamvuna and Mzamba rivers. The 24-hour casino offers players more than 15 gaming tables and over 500 slot machines. The resort has about 400 guestrooms. Amenities include a family fun park, ocean side golf course, bars, lounges, and dining options from casual to fine dining. At Port Elizabeth, you'll find a race course and the Boardwalk Casino with even more to offer including an amphitheater and 4D cinemas. The Boardwalk Casino has nearly 80,000 sq ft of gaming space with 24 gaming tables and 900 slots. The games you find in South Africa are similar to those in Europe, Asia, or the Americas such as roulette, blackjack, craps, baccarat, and roulette.

The most important casino in Cape Town is GrandWest Casino & Entertainment World. A truly magnificent gambling palace with over 2,500 slots and about 80 gaming tables. The poker room there hosts 10 tables and stays busy with cash games and tournaments. The gaming floor spans some 120,000 sq ft and offers several entertainment options along with more than a dozen sit-down restaurants.

Johannesburg plays host to three casinos. Montecasino offers over a quarter million sq ft of gaming and entertainment space with 70 tables, almost 3,000 slots, a poker room, and eight restaurants. The property also features the Southern Sun hotel with every imaginable amenity. Gold Reef City is another large family oriented entertainment complex with a theme park and 4D theater. The casino spans some 110,000 sq ft and offers all the games you would expect.

Online Casinos for South Africans

South Africa has always been a nation that holds a lot of pride in its sports, a love and pride that, through natural progression, has quickly given rise to what is now a very large and highly active community of sports betting enthusiasts. With the rise of mobile internet usage in South Africa, it was only a matter of time before many traditional punters migrated their skills online. This evolution has not only resulted in what is now a very active and quickly growing online community, but also, the capabilities of the internet have allowed for far more in the way of entertainment for players outside of just the sports betting landscape, i.e. Online casino and online casino games

Over the past decade, South Africa has quickly become a hot destination for some of the world's biggest online casino operators and software providers as they look to capture the attention of growing demand by casino game enthusiasts of all levels. The rise of online casinos in South Africa presents a new world of online gaming entertainment for players, and the chance to enjoy an incredible array of traditional and new age online casino games right from the palm of your hand, whether that be on the comfort of your couch, or waiting in the line at the supermarket, it is instant, uninterrupted access when it suits you most.

Other Gambling in South Africa

Other forms of legal gambling in South Africa include the South African National Lottery and Horse racing. All nine provinces have their own gambling and racing board and these bodies also license bookmakers. The Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board (WCGRB) is the largest provider of online bookmaker licenses with 32 online bookies under their jurisdiction. The lottery is the most popular form of gambling in the country averaging more than five million transactions every week. Race betting is controlled by Saftote operated by Phumelela over the entire country except for the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, where Gold Circle is the operator.