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 two of the companies operating in South Africa’s commercial casino industry and represents 35 of the 37 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

This is the sixth edition of the Survey of Casino Entertainment in South Africa, an annual publication which provides public policy makers, analysts and a concerned citizenry with a valuable and comprehensive overview of the casino industry in our country.

As in past years, this volume provides the reader with exhaustive data relating to the casino industry's considerable contribution to national and provincial economies, data on employment and tax revenues, and evidence of the sector's contribution to community development initiatives and social responsibility programmes.

This year's report inevitably reflects the impact of the global recession. Declining disposable incomes and nervous consumer confidence have resulted in declining gaming revenues, compounding the challenges facing the casino and leisure sector in a time of increasingly difficult operating conditions.

As South Africa has continued to grapple with these challenging economic times, the industry's ongoing contributions to the national and regional economies have thus been more important than ever.

South Africa's gambling regulatory regime demands of the industry that it should contribute to the material welfare of the communities within which it operates, whether by way of donations to charitable institutions, the provision of much-needed public infrastructure, or the creation employment opportunities. Since the legalisation of casino gambling in 1996, the industry has developed a sustained and enviable record in the attainment of these objectives. It is a cause for pride, for example, that in the year under review, the industry contributed more than R60 million in corporate social investment (CSI) activities, while the cumulative contribution since 1996 has amounted to some R286 million.

South Africa's casino industry also continues to be an important provider of jobs and tax revenue. In 2008, the industry made a tax contribution of over R6 billion – an amount which includes provincial gambling taxes and indirect taxes.

This year's report includes a number of new features which provide the reader with a more detailed perspective of the casino industry. For example, there is expanded information on the contribution made by restaurants, conference centres and other ancillary facilities and amenities. It is important to bear in mind that most South African casinos are multi-component entertainment venues offering a wide variety of non-gaming amenities ranging from theatre facilities and golf courses and from health spas to retail shopping and fine dining.

The 2009 Survey also contains a new section demonstrating the economic impact of the industry since the legalization of casino gambling. This section shows that since the great casino construction boom of the 1990s, the industry's total capital expenditure has totaled a staggering R18.8 billion. If this amount were to be adjusted to today's value (in other words adjusted for inflation), then this spending would be the equivalent of five Green Point soccer stadiums.

Such data strengthens CASA's conviction that over the past thirteen years, South Africa's casino industry has become a significant player in South Africa's provincial economies, the growth of the country's tourism business, and the expansion of safe and trustworthy recreational opportunities.

The South African casino industry has developed a well-deserved reputation as one which conducts its business with integrity, efficiency and corporate responsibility. In achieving this, we have been greatly supported by a genuine commitment on the part of Government to the development of the country's tourism sector. In addition, we operate in an environment where the legal gaming industry is regulated in a manner which has been replicated in emerging jurisdictions throughout the world.

We also recognise that if our business is to be sustainable over the long term, it is necessary that casino and resort development should take place in a way which enjoys the broad support of the communities within which we conduct our business. If this public confidence is to be won and retained, it is clearly necessary that we should be able to demonstrate, in a format which is accessible and comprehensive, the economic benefits that casinos bring to local communities. In publishing this survey for the past six years, CASA's objective has been to produce the most comprehensive information resource and reference tool on South Africa's casino business - a resource which will enable those who are interested to judge for themselves the contribution made by our casinos to the development of the South African economy.

I am confident that the 2009 Survey of Casino Entertainment in South Africa meets that objective and adds meaningfully to a national understanding of the facts about casino gambling.

David Coutts-Trotter
Chairman Casino Association of South Africa

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's frequent participation over the years in high-level debates about the formulation of sensible and sustainable gambling policy has highlighted the importance of fact-based information in assisting legislators and regulators to shape both law and strategy. Our annual Survey of Casino Entertainment in South Africa is therefore an indispensable collation of empirical data designed to provide the nation's policy-makers and research community with a reliable and comprehensive overview of the industry, its contribution to national and provincial tax revenues, its corporate social investment activities and its efforts to create a gambling environment in which consumers are protected from harm.

The information contained in this survey is drawn from statistics published by the national and provincial gambling boards, casino companies themselves and independent studies produced by such bodies as the National Responsible Gambling Programme. South Africa is fortunate in that it can boast an impressive record of research into all elements of casino gambling, its impact on communities and individuals, and its contribution to the country's economic development.

As this report shows, the casino industry is an important part of the South African entertainment and leisure sector, as well as the broader economy. Increasingly, it plays a vital role in the regions and communities where it operates, creating jobs and business opportunities for local enterprises and providing direct gaming tax revenues to stimulate provincial economies and sustain local community development initiatives. There are few sectors in our national economy that require such considerable capital expenditures, are as labour-intensive and are as supportive of thousands of outside service-providers as the commercial casino industry. Thanks to these myriad contributions, gaming companies have proved themselves to be stable business partners, playing a key role in the broader economic landscape of their host communities.

Today's casinos represent multi-faceted entertainment experiences that go well beyond the mere provision of gambling opportunities. The variety of diverse amenities that constitute the modern casino resort attracts all types of local visitors and tourists who also visit neighboring attractions, thus further stimulating local economies. This edition of the Survey therefore reports on the many state-of-the-art convention centres, performance venues and other ancillary facilities that make casinos an important component of the broader business and leisure travel market.

At the time of writing, the department of trade and industry had embarked on a thorough-going review of South Africa's gambling policy. As part of that process, Parliament has been conducting public hearings in which CASA has participated, demonstrating yet again the value of upto- date and reliable data about the social and economic impact of legalised gaming in South Africa. It is only because bodies such as CASA, the National Responsible Gambling Programme and the National Gambling Board have conscientiously undertaken research into such matters, that we have been able to demonstrate to legislators the necessity that the legal framework governing gambling should at all times be informed by empirical information. Drawing on the information contained in publications such as this survey, we shall continue to represent the interests of the country's legal casino gaming industry, as well as the growing public that the industry serves.

The casino industry is one of the most transparent, regulated, monitored and taxed industries in South Africa. This imposes both a legal and an ethical onus on CASA's member-companies to adhere to the very highest standards of conduct. While this element is beyond the scope of the Survey, it should also be noted that the casino industry is committed to broader issues of sustainability and is a leader in this area. Virtually all of the major casino groups operating in South Africa now publish an annual sustainability report covering their activities in the conservation of the country's economic, social and environmental integrity. The interested reader is referred to these reports in order to obtain a more thorough picture of the sector's contribution in this regard.

For the past six years, this annual survey has been South Africa's most authoritative and complete source of information about the casino gaming sector. The latest Survey has however been updated significantly and now contains useful information regarding the totality of services and entertainment that are found at casinos in South Africa. This information is intended to highlight the fact that no casino in South Africa is a so-called “stand-alone” facility but that all casinos offer a variety of experiences that can be enjoyed by all and cater for all kinds of leisure activities. As a series, the Survey now constitutes a unique record of the development and growth of the country's casino industry as it has unfolded since its legalization in 1996. It continues to demonstrate the diligence and transparency with which the industry approaches its duty of accountability to the country's legislators and public.

I trust that this edition of the Survey will prove as useful as its predecessors in providing the reader with all the information that is required to understand the dynamics of South Africa's casino industry.

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.