Breaking South African Casino News

In a bid to offset losses from the forced closure of its brick-and-mortar gambling venues due to COVID-19, Tsogo Sun Gaming is said to be looking at other sources of revenue. South Africa’s premier casino operator is reportedly eyeing the online gambling and sports betting market, and this has even been confirmed by the group’s chief executive officer, Chris du Toit.

According to the CEO, the group is “in an advanced stage of entering the online betting industry.” He said that online gambling was a “separate segment of the market” but that it was “a natural progression for casinos to offer products online, and if done responsibly on licensee level, can protect the substantial investment and jobs created by casinos.”

It’s been a long few months for the South African casino and hospitality industries, but there may be a glimmer of good news if pressure on the government pays off. The casino industry is pushing to be allowed to see restrictions stemming from the coronavirus, eased on its brick-and-mortar facilities. Big players in the industry such as Tsogo Sun and Sun International, which employ over 20,000 people in the country, want to be allowed to operate under Level 3.

The casino sector wants to allow facilities to reopen, and has promised to adhere to all health protocols if given the green light.

Everyone loves a cops ‘n robbers themed game, and no one does it better than the software giant, Realtime Gaming. One of the best slots series found at online casinos that cater to South African players is the group’s Cash Bandits collection of games.

Cash Bandits 1 & 2 are among the most popular video slots at sites such as Springbok Casino. It’s no wonder, then, that the industry is buzzing with the news that we’re soon going to be playing Cash Bandits 3, thanks to a new release by RTG.

South Africa’s leading gambling and hospitality group, Sun International, has pledged R2 million to the country’s National Solidarity Fund. The money comes directly from 15,000 members of the group’s Most Valued Guests (MVG) loyalty programme, who pledged their points in a bid to help their fellow South Africans.

When the pandemic caused the government to put the country into lockdown, Sun International froze all casino points accumulated by MVG members. The group then offered its members two alternatives – to donate the points to the Solidarity Fund or retain the points until they were able to use them again after lockdown. An amazing 15,000 customers decided to pledge the points towards the fund.

It was touted as one of the most exciting slot releases of the year. The online casino software group, NetEnt’s take on the iconic Street Fighter franchise by Capcom was meant to go live across NetEnt’s network of partners this month and the anticipation among players was high. But Street Fighter II: The World Warrior Slot made a brief appearance at online casinos before it went offline again. Players asked why the game was no longer listed at top NetEnt powered online casinos, and when the game - of which NetEnt was “immensely proud”, according to the group’s Director of Games, Bryan Upton – would be back on the shelf. Play Netent Casino games at Casino.com & Next Casino

Slots Capital Casino is giving players 100 free spins on its popular Mexican slot game, Popping Pinatas, and tripling deposits until the end of the month. Popping Pinatas features two mariachis who are both trying to win a kiss from a beautiful dancer by serenading her, breaking pinatas for her and helping her find her precious chihuahua, Pequeño.

“Pancho and Pepe can pop my pinata anytime,” laughed Slots Capital’s blogger, Slots Lotty.

June 1, 2020 Johannesburg (Press Release) -- A lot of people have extra time on their hands these days. Many of them are spending a lot of that time watching videos on YouTube – including Springbok Casino’s manager, Daniel Van Wyke. This month on the South African casino’s, he’s published the Top 10 Most Viewed Videos on YouTube. Not surprisingly, most of the most popular are music videos.

The absolute top of the charts is the music video for Despacito by Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi, featuring Puerto Rican rapper Daddy Yankee. Starring 2006 Miss Universe Zuleyka Rivera, and shot in La Perla neighbourhood of Old San Juan, it’s had nearly 7,000,000,000 billion views and has received 3 Grammies.

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.