The Casino Association of South Africa has published its 12th annual survey of the country's casino sector, providing a snapshot of the state of the industry.
For the first time since the inception of the casino industry in South Africa under the new democratic dispensation, there was a decrease of 1.8 per cent in revenue. This has been blamed in part on the general economic downturn and also illegal gambling elsewhere in the country.
Despite this, the licensed casino industry made a significant contribution towards employment, social responsibility and infrastructure development, and continues to be a vital economic driver.
CASA currently represents 36 of the 38 operational and legal casinos in South Africa. As well as promoting good governance within the industry, CASA also contributes towards policy decisions that encourage growth and investment in both the industry and the country. In order to achieve this, it has been campaigning for better enforcement regarding illegal gambling operations for some time.
The recent seizure of ZAR1m (€62,000) in illegal winnings by the Department of Trade and Industry indicates that the trade body’s pressure is beginning to have an effect and perhaps marks the beginning of a concerted effort by law enforcement authorities.
Representing 36 of the 38 legal operations in the country means that the organisation is heading an industry that supports over 64,000 jobs, distributing ZAR3.5bn (€220m) to employees.
This represents 21 per cent of the ZAR16.5bn (€1bn) value generated by the industry, a share second only to the ZAR5.9bn (€360m) received by local, provincial and national governments through various taxes and levies (36 per cent of value generated).
In addition, CASA members invested ZAR1.96bn (€120m) in capital expenditure towards the improvement of their casino complexes during the year under review; an amount equaling 11 per cent of gross gaming revenue.
Corporate social investment and sustainability - CSI - is one of CASA’s cornerstone policies and as a result of this, group members invested ZAR155m (€9.6m) or one per cent of GGR in CSI activities during the year under review, with interventions ranging from education to poverty alleviation, responsible gambling, skills development, community upliftment, sports development and sponsorship, healthcare, infrastructure improvement and HIV treatment.
