Casinos in Africa are flourishing

The Gaming industry is alive and well and growing in Africa where almost all African countries have issued gaming licenses and enjoying the African Casinos are a dynamic collection of Hotels and resorts competing for Gambling revenue.

Under the old Apartheid regime with its non viable creation of so called independent states one Mr Sol Kerzner of Sun International managed to create and run a number of Casinos and resorts around South Africa. Part of the license required was that they all be pretty far from the major population centers.

The most famous of these and indeed the most famous of the entire group is the so called Sun City Complex which boasted not only 3 massive Gaming halls in separate Casinos but a host of other activities such as a Game reserve, world class golf courses designed by Gary Player and various other entertainments; swimming pools, a water world and a lake on which skiing, para gliding and other water sports were offered.

Sun City was and is the host to the Million Dollar Golf Tournament which was by invitation only and was the richest tournament in the world.

Since the end of the apartheid era the number of licenses was extended to 40 in number and the requirement for them to be out of town was dropped. Thus there are now in City Casinos in Sandton, Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban and probably the most profitable is in Cape Town.

Egypt similarly has almost 40 Casinos and Kenya has about 20 operations . The world’s most beautiful Casino is quite possibly the Planters Casino at the Plantation Club in the Seychelles (an Island group off Africa and part of the African sphere of influence.

New Casinos have opened In Lagos Nigeria (The Federal Palace hotel) and Kerzner International has opened one in Cassablanca (Morroco called the Mazagan Beach Resort and Casino.

In Southern Africa the are major operations outside of South Africa in countries such as Botswana with 10 casinos and Zimbabwe with 9. Other countries in the region with between 2-5 casinos are Swaziland, Lesotho, Mozambique and Namibia.
Apart from Kenya, in West Africa the are casinos in Tanzania and Uganda. Established for many years in the region the East Africa Casino company recently added to their casinos in Kenya by opening the Mayfair casino in the Ugandan capital kampala.
Finally in the exotic Indian Ocean Islands of Mauritius, Seychelles, Reunion and Madagascar you will find between 3 and 9 casinos on each. South African gaming group Peermont which has 10 casinos in South Africa and Botswana announced on July 1st 2009 it had taken control of all Casinos of Mauritius group 5 casinos.

One of the Casinos in South Africa, Emerald Resort and Casin in Vanderbijl Park on the Vaal river is hosting the International World Series of Poker (Africa) event in February 2013.
This prestigious event will have some of the worlds best players travelling from all over the world to compete for the large prize and for the prestige, although this is rated as a Circuit event and thus no bracelets are being awarded.