Breaking South African Casino News

As lockdown continues in many areas around the world, including South Africa, an interesting trend has been observed. According to data collected from internet search engines, the interest in online casinos has hit a record high. Google Trends data reports that more people than ever before typed in the words ‘casinos online’ when doing an online search.

The reason for this trend is clear. Governments from around the world are doing everything in their power to stop the spread of COVID-19. One of the first things they did was close all physical gambling venues and cancel all sports events.

In Lockdown and can’t visit the casino in person right now? No Problem! Experience the spectacular atmosphere, dazzling lights and the glitz & glamour of the Las Vegas strip in the comfort of your home with Real Time Gaming’s (RTG’s) new 5 reel slot game, Vegas Lux. With a top jackpot of 1,320x your bet size, boasting 720 ways to win and with up to 240 Free spins, the new Vegas Lux slots is bound to give you loads of prize pay-outs!

To celebrate the release the new Vegas Lux slot game, we’ve partnered with South Africa’s premier online casinos to bring you exclusive free spin bonuses. All new and existing players at Silver Sands Casino, Jackpot Cash Casino, Apollo Slots Casino and White Lotus Casino are eligible to receive 50 Free Spin Bonus (No Deposit Required) to try out the new slot game. (Offers end 31st July 2020).

Tsogo Sun, owner of some of South Africa’s most successful casinos and hotel, has called on the government to allow more movement between provinces. If lockdown continues, says the group, it could mean a death sentence for the country’s tourism industry.

In a statement issued by Tsogo Sun last week, the group pointed out that inter-provincial travel is vital for South Africa’s hotel industry, and that the group has been actively lobbying for the relaxation of travel restrictions so that it can begin to open up its hotels and casinos.

South Africa’s horse racing industry is entering into a deep recession because of the COVID-19 crisis. According to the National Horse Racing Authority (NHRA), most of the 60,000 people employed by the industry are currently on furlough and 80% of these jobs are at immediate risk.

In pre-Corona days, the industry had an annual turnover of R12 billion. However, COVID-19 has seen South African trainers losing R3 million a month as they take on only a fraction of their normal workload. Jockeys are also on the losing end, forfeiting some R6.5 million in salaries each month. The horse racing industry contributes around R3 billion to South Africa’s GDP each year and R800 million in taxes.

Slots Capital Casino has just unveiled Rival Gaming’s new Wrath of Medusa, an immersive historical adventure with expanding wilds and epic bonus features.

Everyone can take 10 free spins on the game May 21st – 24th. Anyone that makes a deposit between now and June 21st will get 100 more free spins!

Rival’s first immersive “Alive” game, Wrath of Medusa transports players through different environments, from a crumbling stone temple to Medusa’s lair.

South Africa’s favourite online casino is always coming out with cool promotions and themes. This month, the guys at Springbok Casino are celebrating the most extraordinary creatures on our planet - in our humble opinion anyway – giraffes. Nothing says African savannah like a herd of these tall, majestic herbivores does, and somehow Springbok Casino has managed to combine giraffes with fun online gambling!

Let’s get to the online casino rewards bit first! What’s in store for players this month? For the entire month of May, you can claim free spins on Magic Mushroom slot by Realtime Gaming.

One of the most iconic online progressive jackpots slots, Mega Fortune, is well known for churning out multi million Rand jackpots. But even the Major Jackpot prize can mean a boat load of money for us South Africans. And that’s exactly what happened this month. C. landed the Major Jackpot this month at Yeti Casino, scooping up a whopping R542,035.49 in the process.

There are quite a few jackpots slots available from NetEnt: Hall of Gods, Divine Fortune, Arabian Nights, Mega Joker, Golden Money Frog and more. But, what’s great about playing jackpot slots is that you can become a multi-millionaire with just one spin and on any bet size. This Major Jackpot was won with a bet of R25.

Leading gambling software and technology group, Playtech, which provides games to multiple South African online casinos, has signed a partnership deal with fellow software provider, Playson. The content distribution deal will see some of Playson’s top titles, including Rome: Caesar’s Glory and Solar Queen, become available on POP (the Playtech Open Platform). The games will be rolled out on Playtech’s global network, under the terms of the agreement.

The director of Playtech, James Frendo, commented that Playson’s games are hugely popular in the industry, and Playtech is thus delighted to add its “burgeoning portfolio” to POP.

The South African government has already extended the lockdown period once, to try and control the spread of COVID-19. But the country has been warned that even if lockdown isn’t officially extended past May 1st, restrictions won’t come to an abrupt end. “We have to phase it in so that there’s an orderly move towards what would be normality,” said Cogta minister, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

And this is what worries South African horse racing operator, Phumelela Gaming and Leisure. The group has warned that if the lockdown period is extended past May, or even if it is not, but if racing is not resumed by then, there are going to be significant job losses in the industry.

To paraphrase a famous quote, if you can’t bring players to Vegas, you can certainly bring Vegas to players. Springbok Casino is doing its best to help you beat those lockdown blues by creating a fun, buzzing vibe on its online gaming platform. While things are already sizzling and steaming at Springbok, the action just got hotter with the announcement that South Africa’s favorite online casino will be launching a new Vegas-themed slot game next month. Vegas Lux slot will take you right to the heart of Sin City, thanks to the vision and talent of the Realtime Gaming software team.

May 1, 2020 Johannesburg, South Africa (Press Release) – Giraffes are one of the most extraordinary creatures on our planet and, according to Springbok Casino, they’re just plain cool. This month the South African casino pays tribute to the tall spotted herbivores -- one of the country’s most iconic creatures – with a compilation of cool facts and heartwarming videos about the unique and majestic animals.

“Everyone knows giraffe’s have the longest necks – up to 180 centimetres – but did you know they have a 50-pound heart and that their tongues are 20 inches long?!” marvelled Springbok Casino manager, Daniel van Wyke. “But they have the shortest sleeps, usually only 30 minutes in total in five or six minute naps. Standing up!”

The South African National Lottery operator, Ithuba, has been granted an exception from lockdown regulations, and players from around the country are able to purchase tickets. While all other forms of in-person gambling (casinos, horse-racing, etc) have been significantly impacted by COVID-19 restrictions, retail outlets are still allowed to sell lottery tickets.

Earlier this month, the National Lotteries Commission (NLC), which regulates the National Lottery, said in a statement that it was following the Presidential lockdown closely but was granting an exemption to lottery play in South Africa.

To celebrate the release of RTG’s brand new Mexican themed slot game, Diamond Fiesta, we’ve partnered with South Africa’s premier online casinos to bring you exclusive free spin bonuses. All new and existing players at Silver Sands Casino, Jackpot Cash Casino, Apollo Slots Casino and White Lotus Casino are eligible to receive up to 66 Free Spin Bonus (No Deposit Required) to try out the new slot game. (Offers end 31 May 2020).

Diamond Fiesta is a 5x3 reels, 50 active line video slot game set on the street of a Mexican town during the Day of the Dead celebrations, a Mexican holiday. This spectacular slot game is filled with reel symbols such as diamonds, calaveras, maracas, skeletons, female dancers, mariachi and chilli peppers.

Thunderbolt Casino is adding Diamond Fiesta, a glittering new Mexican slot game from Realtime Gaming, to its huge collection of slots and table games, all played in Rands. Two special features will result in loco payouts. “Expanding Reels” increases chances for a winning combination. And Day-of-the-Dead Skulls win free spins with extra Scatters, Wilds and Diamonds. The spicy new game arrives just in time for Mexico’s annual Cinco de Mayo celebrations.

The South African gaming giant, Sun International, announced that it has been forced to close two of its casino properties permanently. This is a direct impact of the coronavirus on its financial situation, said the group.

Sun International named to two properties as Naledi in Thaba Nchu in the Free State and the Carousel Casino in the North West.

The two casinos were selected because they have been running at a loss for some time now. Sun International said that efforts had been made in the past years to try and get them to turn a profit, with no success. The effects of COVID-19 were the last nail in the coffin for the casinos.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc in South Africa, affecting practically every industry, including the casino, gambling and racing industries.  As such, the organizers of the Vodacom Durban July announced this week that it would be shifting the traditional date of the famous race from the beginning of July (4th) to the 25th of the same month.

The chief executive officer of Gold Circle, Michel Nairac called the Durban July “the pinnacle of the South African racing calendar”. He said that there is massive support for this change of date from the racing community, sponsors, media and the many regular supporters who attend the event. 

Forget coronavirus – the only thing you stand catching this weekend is a falling egg! Release yourself from the day-to-day stress of lockdown and get ready to hunt for virtual Easter eggs at Africasino. You can enter the Basketful of Fun promo at Africasino which is running until further notice, so there’s no time limit on the fun just yet.

See this fun guy below? His only mission in life is to run around the barn at Africasino, catching eggs as they rain down on him. The ZAR-friendly online casino is giving you one shot each day to catch as many eggs as you can through the Basketful of Fun game. The more eggs you manage to catch, the more rewards you’ll get.

Life in lockdown can get pretty dreary, which is why it’s always a good thing when we can zoom out and imagine ourselves in a different location for a little while. Genesis Casino is taking things one step further and is inviting you to explore outer space with a cool weekly bonus.

The Genesis Casino weekly bonus is a fantastic way to while away the week. Simply make a deposit of R750 or more from Monday to Thursday, and you’ll be rewarded with a 25% bonus up to R1,500 on Friday. This is an incredible offer to give you that extra boost over the weekend, and a surefire way to win some great payouts. Exploration knows no bounds – go get ‘em!” says Genesis Casino.

Spring is in the air and Easter is just a hippity-hop around the corner. To celebrate, Slots Capital Casino is giving players 100 free spins and tripling deposits from Easter Sunday until the end of the month.

“Give me three times as much to play with over the Easter holiday?!” shrieked Slots Capital’s blogger, Slots Lotty. “Honey, that’s better than Easter candy any day! Haha… not that I couldn’t gobble down a chocolate bunny right now!”

The Tsogo Sun hotel group, which runs casinos such as Gold Reef City and Suncoast Casino, closed its hotels and casinos around the country amid the outbreak of COVID19 in South Africa.

In a statement last week, the group said it had seen a “total collapse of demand” in its properties. With the country now in lockdown, Tsogo Sun Gaming is now seeing negative impact of the virus for the first time.