From the earliest years that settlers reached the shore of South Africa in the 17th century, gambling as a pastime was always frowned upon by ruling powers. The 1965 Gambling Act made it official - allowing only betting on horse racing, but banning all other forms of gambling. But South Africans love their gambling and looked for ways around the rigid laws. Tens of thousands of off-the-grid gambling alternatives sprung up in the country. In the 1970s, locals would regularly make their way to the independent homelands such as Ciskei and Transkei to play at casinos that were popping up in these areas. In 1979, the legendary Sun City opened its doors in Bophuthatswana and became the flagship venue of the top South African casino and hospitality group, Sun International.

One of the first things that the newly elected democratic government did when it came into power in the post-Apartheid era in 1994, was to legalize all forms of gambling. Two years later, the National Gambling Act was passed. The act changed the face of casino gambling in South Africa. It made provisions for a system of licensed casinos, issued 40 gambling licenses and established the National Gambling Board which oversees the local gaming and racing boards of each province. For the first time, a national lottery was established in South Africa.

Over the years, another two casino licenses were made available, and the National Gambling Act underwent some changes (the most recent change took place with the 2008 National Gambling Amendment Act).

GAUTENG Casinos	Address
Emerald Resort And Casino	777 Frikkie Meyer Boulevard, Vanderbijlpark Gauteng
Silver Star Casino	Next to the R28 Krugersdorp/Pretoria highway Muldersdrift
Montecasino	Montecasino Boulevard, Sandton
Gold Reef City Casino	Cnr Data Crescent & Northern Parkway,Ormonde,Joburg
Emperor's Palace Casino	64 Jones Road, Kempton Park
Carnival City Casino	Cnr Century and Elsburg Road, Brakpan, 1540
Time Square Casino	209 Aramist Avenue, Menlyn, Pretoria, South Africa, 0010

 

WESTERN CAPE Casinos	Address
Grand West Casino	1 Jakes Gerwel Dr, Goodwood, Cape Town, 7460
Golden Valley Casino	Between Brandwag and Roux Roads, Worcester, 6880
Garden Route Casino	1 Pinnacle Point Road, Pinnacle Point, Mossel Bay, 6500
Mykonos Casino	Mykonos Access Rd, Mykonos, Langebaan, 7357

 

KWAZULU NATAL Casino	Address
Blackrock Casino	100 Allen St, Newcastle Central, Newcastle, 2940
Umfolozi Casino Hotel	2 Copper Dr, Kuleka, Empangeni, 3880
Sun Coast Casino	Suncoast Boulevard, O R Tambo Parade, Durban, 4056
Sibaya Casino	1 Sibaya Dr, Umhlanga Rocks, Durban, 4320
Golden Horse Casino	5 New England Rd, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg, 3201

 

LIMPOPO Casinos	Address
Meropa Casino	9 Prov Roodepoort St, Ivypark X14, Polokwane, 0699
Khoroni Hotel Casino	Raza St, Thohoyandou-A, Thohoyandou, 0950
Thaba Moshate Casino	R555, Burgersfort, Limpopo

 

MPUMALANGA Casinos	Address
The Ridge Casino	The Ridge Casino, Cnr N4 Highway & Mandela Street, Emalahleni, 1039
Graceland Casino	1 eMbalenhle Road, Secunda, 2302
Emnotweni Casino	Government Blvd, Riverside Park, Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, 1200

 

NORTHERN CAPE Casino	Address
Desert Palace Casino	1 Olifantshoek Road, Keidebees, Upington, 8801
Flamingo Casino	Transvaal Rd, Memorial Road Area, Kimberley, 8301

 

NORTH WEST PROVINCE Casinos	Address
Rio Casino	Rio Boulevard, Freemanville, Klerksdorp, 2571
Morula Sun Casino	Morula Casino, Molefe Makinta (Lucas Mangope) Highway, Mabopane, 0190
Mmabatho Palms Casino	Nelson Mandela Dr, Mafikeng Industrial, Mahikeng, 2735
Sun City Casino	6 Sandown Valley Crescent, Sandton
The Carousel Casino (Closed)	Old Warmbaths Road, Hammanskraal, Pretoria, 0407

 

FREE STATE Casinos	Address
The Frontier Inn And Casino	Johan Blignaut Drive N5, Panorama, Bethlehem, 9700
Naledi Sun Casino (Closed)	3 Bridge Street, Thaba Nchu, Bloemfontein, 9780
Goldfields Casino	Corner Stateway and, Buiten St, Welkom, 9460

 

Eastern Cape Casinos	Address
Hemingways Casino	Two Rivers Dr, & Western Ave, East London, 5201
Boardwalk Casino	Beach Rd, Summerstrand, Port Elizabeth, 6019
Wild Coast Sun Casino	Main Bizana Road Bizana, Port Edward, 4295
Queens Casino	N6 Cathcart Road, Queenstown, 5320

 

Casinos in South Africa

Today, you will find over 40 land-based casinos across the width and breadth of the country. The majority of them are located near metropolitan centers such as the Boardwalk Casino in Port Elizabeth, GrandWest Casino and Entertainment World in Cape Town and MonteCasino in Johannesburg.

Many of these casinos boast world-class casino floors with hundreds of games, available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Popular casino games include slots, poker, blackjack, craps, baccarat and roulette. The casinos usually form part of a greater entertainment complex, including theaters, restaurants, bars, lounges, golf courses, family-fun parks and game parks. These complexes also include multiple accommodation options, from family-friendly budget rooms to exclusive luxury hotels.

This means that you don’t ever have to travel very far to enjoy a sensational casino experience with a distinctly South African flavor.

While each casino differs in terms of design, entertainment facilities and gaming options, they all share these same important qualities:

• They are all licensed and regulated by a local gambling board.
• They all offer casino games suited to all levels of players
• They all offer games with multiple denominations, starting at just a few cents per spin.

Highrollers will find exclusive gaming rooms with high-denomination options.

• All the games are regulated, fair and transparent.
• The casinos are located in safe areas and are well-protected.
• They all offer some form of rewards program.

Top Players on the SA Casino Operator Scene

The majority of the land-based casinos in South Africa are owned and operated by big names in the industry, including Tsogo Sun, the Peermont Group and Sun International. Sun International: This international group’s flagship resort, Sun City, remains the first choice for many South Africans seeking top gambling entertainment and recreation. Other properties operated by Sun International include Carnival City in Gauteng, Carousel Casino in the North West, Flamingo Casino in Kimberley, the GrandWest Casino in Cape Town and Sibaya in Durban.

Tsogo Sun: This gaming and entertainment group operates 13 casinos around the country. Among its top brands are: MonteCasino and Gold Reef City in Gauteng, SunCoast in KwaZulu-Natal, Mykonos in the Western Cape and the Ridge in Mpumalanga. Peermont: The Peermont Group counts among its properties: Emperor’s Palace in Gauteng, Rio Casino Resort in North West and Khoroni in Limpopo.

Gambling Culture in South Africa

We’ve noted that South Africans love their gambling, and it’s not only in the casinos that this is reflected. Besides the thousands of slot games found on the casino floors, South Africans will also find over 50,000 limited payout machines dotted around the country. A recent study showed that the most popular form of gambling in South Africa is playing the National Lottery, followed by slot machines, scratch cards, charity jackpot competitions and horse racing betting.

Online gambling is also growing fast in popularity, with most of it taking place via mobile devices. Online casinos attract South African players, while online sports betting is one of the fastest growing forms of entertainment in the country.

The South African National Lottery

The lottery, which was officially established in 2000, is regulated by the National Lottery Commission and operated by Ithuba Holdings. Players need to be 18 years of age or older to buy a ticket, which can be purchased at approved retailers, at participating banks or through the Ithuba National Lottery website.

The lottery offers eight different games:

• Lotto
• Lotto Plus 1
• Lotto Plus 2
• Powerball
• Powerball Plus
• Sportstake 13
• Eaziwin
• Pick 13

 

The top jackpot paid out from the National Lottery in its 20 year history was to a man in his 50s who took home a staggering R232,131,750.69 after hitting the big prize in a Powerball draw in 2019.

The National Gambling Board

The National Gambling Board is responsible for overseeing the regulation in the country’s gambling industry and for preserving the integrity of South Africa as a responsible global citizen. According to the board, its strategic intent is to “sustain and grow its regulatory capability to position South Africa as the preeminent jurisdiction with an exemplary and effectively regulated gambling industry.”

There are nine provincial gambling boards as follows:

• Gauteng
• Western Cape
• Eastern Cape
• Free State
• Kwazulu Natal
• Mpumalanga
• North West
• Limpopo
• Northern Cape

Responsible Gambling in South Africa

The National Gambling Board also oversees the non-profit National Responsible Gambling Program – a resource which integrates research, monitoring, education, treatment and counselling. The program is managed by the SA Responsible Gambling Foundation (SARGF), whose board of directors represents regulators and people from the industry.

The SARGF is funded by the licensed gambling operators, who contribute 0.1% of their Gross Gambling Revenue to the foundation. It regularly undertakes special projects at the request of the nine provincial gambling boards. Services are free of charge and available 24 hours a day. The Foundation runs outpatient and inpatient programs, as well as phone counselling by qualified professionals in problem gambling.

The Casino Association of South Africa (CASA)

Founded in 2003, the Casino Association of South Africa represents the vast majority of the country’s licensed casino industry across all nine provinces. CASA and its members are committed to making responsible gambling an integral part of the daily operations of member casinos, and they have adopted a code of conduct detailing how it fulfills this pledge.

Online Gambling in South Africa

The National Gambling Act of 2004 made it illegal to gamble at online casinos in the country. However, this has not stopped hundreds of thousands of South Africans playing at safe, regulated and licensed SA-friendly online casinos at offshore sites. These sites offer excellent games by leading software providers, accept ZAR as a form of currency and support banking methods that are suitable to South African players.

According to the law, the only exception for legal online gambling in South Africa is online sports betting and online horse racing betting. To operate legally, an online bookmaker needs to obtain a license from one of the nine provincial gambling and racing boards.

Sports Betting in South Africa

Up until 1996, anybody in South Africa who wanted to bet on the horses had to head to the track and place their wagers there. After that, it became possible to wager online at licensed internet betting sites. The nine gambling boards in the country are able to license online betting sites who meet the criteria, although the main provider of licenses at this point is the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board.