Breaking South African Casino News

Sun International announced the reopening of its flagship resort, Sun City, after it was closed for five months during lockdown and beyond.

This comes as South Africa’s casino and hospitality operator announced that it was planning to cut jobs at some of its properties in a bid to deal with the crippling financial results from the pandemic.

The Swedish online casino software provider, NetEnt, has rolled out a new game in its Hotline slot franchise. Hotline 2 slot takes players on a wild return to the hot streets of Miami in the 80s. If this game reminds you of the American TV crime drama, Miami Vice starring Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas, you’re right on target. The guys on the reels look strikingly familiar!

In Hotline 2 slot, NetEnt uses the popularity of the original game to leverage the new title and it’s clear that they’ve been successful in their attempts. Both games boast the same Miami-at-twilight backdrop and a retro, 80’s soundtrack, however, the soundtrack in the newer version is much better overall, and is a big part of the game’s appeal. Players are already saying that, in this case, NetEnt has vastly improved on the original, to bring us a sequel worthy of hours of play.

It has been reported that bodyguards working for South Africa’s Deputy President, David Mabuza, have run up a staggering accommodation bill of up to R10 million after they allegedly lived at the Southern Sun Emnotweni in Nelspruit fulltime for over two years. Incredibly, at least a quarter of the time that the bodyguards used these rooms happened when Mabuza wasn’t even in the vicinity.

According to a report in Sunday World, the 12 bodyguards were booked in the rooms since August 2018, and paid R1,200 a room after a ‘special’ rate was cut for them. The taxpayers undoubtedly footed the bill.

September 04, 2020, Johannesburg, South Africa (Press Release) – South Africa’s premier online casino guide; SouthAfricanCasinos.co.za, has voted Yebo Casino the “Best Highroller Casino 2020”. When choosing Yebo Casino for this coveted award, SouthAfricanCasinos.co.za considered several criteria, including: betting limits, exclusive bonuses & promotions, cash prizes, personal VIP host & hassle-free banking methods – all in a safe & secure environment!

Yebo Casino’s Manager said “Our efforts to make sure that all our players are treated well, but especially our loyal VIP’s & frequent players, has obviously paid off!” …..“My team is thrilled to win this award, especially being recognized by one of the oldest & trusted casino guides, dedicated to South African online casino players”

September 4, 2020 (Press Release) – Trees changing color, days getting shorter and kids going back to school are all signs that summer is over and autumn is on its way. Another sure sign of fall is Slots Capital Casino’s Labor Day Bonuses – 100 free spins on the Golden Gorilla slot from Rival Gaming and a 300% deposit bonus available September 7-19.

“It’s always kinda sad when summer comes to an end,” sighed Slots Capital’s blogger, Slots Lotty. “But hey, give me a pile of free spins and I can get over it!”

September 1, 2020 Johannesburg, South Africa (Press Release) – September 22nd is World Rhino Day, a day to celebrate the five species of Rhinoceros: Black, White, Greater One-horned, Sumatran and Javan. Organizations like the World Wildlife Federation work to "keep the five alive" by raising awareness about the threats facing all five species. To help us appreciate Rhinos and their precarious situation, this month, South Africa's Springbok Casino is sharing Rhino Facts.

“Once the largest land mammal on our planet, rhinos have been here for 50 million years,” said Springbok Casino manager, Daniel Van Wyke. “If they appear rather prehistoric, that’s because they are!”

Deposit at SilverSands, Apollo Slots, Jackpot Cash & White Lotus Casino during the month of September 2020 and get 35% match Bonus PLUS 20 Free Spins Bonus on Stardust Slots by Real Time Gaming (RTG). In order to redeem your bonus simply make a real money deposit in the month of September.

This offer is valid until end of September and Wagering is set at 10 times the deposit, bonus received and amount obtained from the free spins.

Players cannot redeem multiple free bonuses consecutively. Standard T&C apply where necessary

Earlier reports have been confirmed that the UK bookmaker, Betfred, is the name behind the mystery company which made a takeover bid for the South African horse-racing group, Phumelela.

Betfed issued a statement saying that it will pay as much as R925 million for the struggling SA gambling group, which is making desperate attempts to emerge from a business rescue. Besides the R925 million, Betfred will also pay around R650 million to creditors that are owed funds by Phumelela.

Phumelela Gaming and Leisure has published an official business rescue plan, which it hopes will help move it out of the path of bankruptcy. One of the proposals made by the South African race and sports betting operator is to sell its horseracing business.

In May this year, Phumelela filed for bankruptcy protection, after reporting that it had performed its “worst year” in its over two decades of operations. The group reported a net loss of R95.8 million in the month ending July 31st, 2019, compared to the R151.7 million profit reported in the previous year. Soon after entering into a voluntary business rescue, Phumelela’s chief executive, John Stuart resigned.

25 August 2020 (Press Release) -- Thunderbolt Casino, one of South Africa's most popular online casinos, has just introduced an entirely new mobile casino experience. Its new mobile casino lobby is more intuitive than ever and enables players to go directly to the features they use most: games, banking and current bonus offers.

“With more and more of our players playing on smartphones and tablets, we wanted to make it even easier to use,” said Thunderbolt's manager, Alisa. “With the new lobby, it's even quicker and easier to get straight to your favourite game and start playing!”

With the news that the South African government is relaxing travel restrictions after months of tough COVID19-related restraints, the tourism industry has expressed its pleasure with the decision. President Cyril Ramaphosa said that South Africa would move to level 2 this week, effectively lifting interprovincial travel restrictions.

“Guided by the advice of our health experts and after consultation with provincial and local government, Cabinet has decided to place the entire country on alert #level2, with effect from midnight on Monday, the 17th of August 2020,” said the President his address to the nation.

As the sports betting market in South Africa and the rest of Africa continues to grow, players are always on the lookout for safe and convenient payment methods. Many have found the solution with the SA mobile wallet integration startup, Wallettec, which was launched in the Mother City in 2013.

Wallettec has now announced that it will focus exclusively on the sports betting space, which it believes will grow even more significantly over the coming years across the continent. Already, the mobile integration company provides payment solutions in 14 different African countries, including South Africa, Kenya and Namibia.

It has taken a global pandemic to make many companies reconsider the direction in which their businesses are heading. Many industries have had to rethink the way they get their products and services to customers, including the South African gambling industry. It was in with that mindset that Tsogo Sun made the decision to gain a foothold in the South African online betting industry. To do so, the group announced that it would be acquiring a 50.1% stake in Bet.co.za. The purchase is being made via Tsogo Sun’s subsidiary Alternative Gaming and the group is paying R49 million to become a major stockholder in South Africa’s premier sports betting and entertainment site.

Tsogo Sun Gaming made an announcement to its shareholders regarding the purchase on Friday, in which it said: “The acquisition represents a strategic opportunity for Tsogo Sun Gaming to enter the online betting space via an existing, developing business.”

An article which appeared in iol.co.za recently showed that one of the impacts that COVID-19 has had on South Africans is that more gamblers than ever are taking their gambling online. It was shown that online betting is on the increase in SA as brick-and-mortar casinos are slowly coming out of lockdown, but are still operating under very strict conditions.

In celebration of International Cat Day, Slots Capital Casino is giving players 100 free spins on its feline favorite, the Catsino slot game from Rival. They’re also tripling deposits until the end of the month. “Meow… here kitty kitty kitty… mama wants some free spins!” laughed Slots Capital’s blogger, Slots Lotty. “Free spins on Catsino -- what a purrrrfect way to spend a summer afternoon!”

Catsino features a cast of furry felines including a suave tomcat, a streetwise ally-cat and several sexy she-cats. Wilds multiply wins 3X and Scatters award up to 9 free spins.

As the coronavirus continues to spread through South Africa, more and more lottery fans are changing the way they buy tickets into their favourite games. As a result, we are seeing more winners than ever on tickets purchased online or through banking apps. The latest incredible win from a remote ticket purchase came in one of the more recent Powerball Plus draws. The winner has stepped forward to claim his massive R153 million prize – the biggest Powerball Plus payout to date!

Operator of South African’s National Lottery, Ithuba, said that the winner bought his ticket via the Standard Bank app. The man has preferred to remain anonymous, but it has been revealed that he hails from KwaZulu-Natal and that he is an employed professional.

Deposit at SilverSands, Apollo Slots, Jackpot Cash & White Lotus Casino during the month of August 2020 and get 35% match Bonus PLUS 20 Free Spins Bonus on Kung Fu Rooster Slots by Real Time Gaming (RTG). In order to redeem your bonus simply make a real money deposit in the month of August.

This offer is valid until end of August and Wagering is set at 10 times the deposit, bonus received and amount obtained from the free spins.

Players cannot redeem multiple free bonuses consecutively. Standard T&C apply where necessary

August 01, 2020, Johannesburg, South Africa (Press Release) – South Africa’s most comprehensive guide to online casinos, SouthAfricanCasinos.co.za has voted Springbok Casino the “Best Casino in South Africa” in 2020. This coveted title was given to Springbok Casino after SouthAfricanCasinos.co.za reviewed several excellent local gaming sites according to a number of important criteria – including banking methods, casino bonuses, support, games and software.

“We’re thrilled with this award,” said the manager of Springbok Casino, Daniel van Wyke, “especially since it comes from one of the largest and most trusted communities for South African online casino players.”

August 4, 2020 Johannesburg, South Africa (Press Release) – In celebration of National Women’s Day on 9 August, South Africa’s Springbok Casino is sharing Fun Facts about Wildlife Mothers (https://www.springbokcasino.co.za/wildlife-mothers). Elephants, crocodiles, lions, leopards and even penguins – South Africa is home to some of the most amazing wildlife – and the best mothers -- on the planet.

Until the end of August, players can take 25 free spins on one of the casino’s most popular slot games, T-Rex 2.

The South African gambling public has surprised everyone by making a more than satisfactory return to favourite casino hubs in July. The government finally gave the green light for casinos to open up, after being shut down for so long due to the coronavirus. Ten out of Sun International’s eleven casinos are now operating in South Africa. The group reported this week that it has paid out over R22.4 million in jackpots in the first two weeks of reopening. Two new millionaires were created overnight and over 140 jackpots worth over R50K each were also paid out.

“We were quite surprised in the first two weeks when we opened in July, we were probably trading at about 50 to 60% of prior year levels,” said Graham Wood, Sun International’s group COO for Hospitality.