a. General intro

The Casino Association of South Africa represents the interests of the country’s legal casino gaming industry, as well as the growing public that the industry serves. CASA’s emphasis is on playing a constructive and positive role in the evolution of good public policy and good governance in respect of the casino industry.

CASA represents all but one of the companies operating in South Africa’s commercial casino industry and represents 33 of the 34 casinos in the country. CASA’s members are:

Click here to download CASA's code of conduct.

Click here to download CASA’s constitution.

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b. A word from our Chairman

I am pleased to introduce this fourth edition of the Survey of Casino Entertainment in South Africa, an annual publication which continues to provide the interested reader with a comprehensive overview of the casino industry in our country.

The 2007 issue again incorporates the most up-to-date statistics on the industry's economic contributions at both the national and provincial level, including data on employment and tax revenues. As such, it provides a valuable reference tool for public policy makers, analysts and others who seek to understand the size, spread and profile of a commercial sector which contributes significantly to capital investment, tax revenue and employment.

The year under review has seen the further expansion of the South African industry, with three new casinos coming into operation - the Golden Valley in Worcester, the Frontier Inn in Bethlehem and Century Casinos' permanent facility at Newcastle. At the same time, there have been extensive upgrades and new investments at GrandWest, Gold Reef City, Sun City, Meropa, and Montecasino. The industry's contribution to the broader leisure and tourism sector has also been demonstrated by new hotel developments at Emperors Palace, Montecasino, Suncoast, Carnival City and at the Golden Valley.

As in previous surveys, this edition reports on corporate social responsibility spending across the industry. As this data reveals, our industry invested nearly R70 million in education, housing, health, arts and culture, sport and other vital social spending during the course of the year under review. At the same time, the industry's commitment to responsible gambling - particularly through the ground-breaking CASA code of conduct, which was introduced in December 2005 - has been further consolidated and one of the consequences of casinos' active involvement in the prevention, treatment and education projects of the National Responsible Gambling Programme (NRGP) is that independent research demonstrates that, despite the expansion of gambling opportunities in South Africa, the incidence of problem gambling has actually been decreasing in recent years.

CASA has always paid considerable attention to transformation in the casino sector and while we believe that our track-record in this respect has been exemplary, we have commissioned Empowerdex to conduct a thorough assessment of our achievements in this area, with a view to maintaining our leading position as pioneers in the management and ownership of assets in southern Africa's tourism and leisure industry.

If the casino industry is to retain the necessary degree of public confidence in its probity and commitment to responsible and safe gambling, it is imperative that it should enable the public to understand the economic benefits that casinos bring to local communities. I hope that the 2007 Survey of Casino Entertainment in South Africa goes some way towards meeting that objective and trust you will find it a valuable reference tool for the facts about casino gambling.

JABU MABUZA
Chairman

Should you need further information about our industry, or CASA and its activities, please contact our national office by e-mail (info@casasa.org.za) or phone +27 21 409 2460.

c. A word from our Chief Executive

The Casino Association of South Africa is pleased to present the 2007 Survey of Casino Entertainment in South Africa. As in previous editions of the survey, this publication provides a comprehensive province-by-province picture of the commercial casino industry, incorporating data that ranges from its economic impact on provincial and national economies to statistics on casino visitation and employment opportunities.

What is clear from the information published in successive issues of the Survey is that after more than a decade of legalised casino gambling, it remains a mature industry that still enjoys considerable growth potential. This is demonstrated by the rate at which new casinos have come into operation, the continuing expansion and refurbishment of existing facilities and their sustained profitability. But this growth comes with a powerful obligation towards the highest and most responsible standards of probity in the conduct of our business. The industry's commitment to corporate citizenship and social responsibility is again revealed in the sections of this survey which deal with corporate social investment and responsible gambling.
CASA not only represents and promotes the interests of the country's legal casino gaming industry, but also recognises the sector's obligations and duties towards the millions of South Africans who visit casinos. Our emphasis, therefore, is on playing a constructive and positive role in the evolution of good
Integral to this mandate is the provision of reliable and timeous information about the casino industry's contribution to provincial and local economies, its impact on a national scale and its benefits to the communities within which it operates. If we are to seek to influence public policy and address misperceptions and stereotypes about the industry, it is clearly essential that we should do so on the basis of well researched data which is easily available to a wide range of stakeholders.
Of course, this survey should not be read in isolation from the wealth of related data which is available on the CASA website and in our other publications. There is a rich repository of information about the social and economic impact of South Africa's casino industry in the research published by the National Gambling Board and the National Responsible Gambling Programme, all of which complements the material contained in this edition of the annual survey.
It is now eleven years since South Africa's first National Gambling Act came into operation, and there can be no doubt that in that period casino gambling has developed an enviable reputation as a leisure activity which, if undertaken responsibly, brings measurable recreational, economic and social benefits to communities throughout the country. This edition of the survey documents the nature of this impact and we hope it will serve as a useful and interesting source of information for those who seek to gain a thorough understanding of the contribution which South African casinos make to the development of the South African economy.

d. Staffers at the CASA office

Charl Faurie is CASA's General Manager. He comes from an extensive career in the diplomatic corps where he served in Washington DC, Copenhagen, and Stockholm. During this time he was also involved in peace negotiations between Angola and Mozambique as well as negotiations between South Africa and the European Union on the Trade Agreement.

Monica Mazula is generally the first voice you'll hear when you phone the CASA office as she joined the team as a receptionist in October 2004. Monica, who matriculated from Maitland High School, attended Boston City Campus where she obtained her Certificate in Electronic Secretarial Studies.