Online Casino Legality in South Africa will be decided in Bloemfontein
September 13, 2010
The legality of online casinos and online gambling has been a grey issue in South Africa for many years now. In the past there have been statements made that the government would license and regulate these activities but to date this has not come to pass never and there has been no solid legislature that either legalised or outlawed online casinos and gambling in the country.
Recently though, a legal case arose after Piggs Peak took action to defend itself against the Gauteng Gambling Board’s efforts to prevent the casino’s advertising campaigns from being aired by radio and TV stations in the province. The casino stated that they were not based in South Africa and operated in Swaziland which meant that all gambling took place on servers located in Swaziland and not in South Africa.
Judge NB Tachten of the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria dismissed the claim that interactive gambling took place outside of the province and on Piggs Peak’s servers as regulated in Swaziland, while also finding the Gauteng Gambling Board’s actions to be in line with powers ascribed by provincial and national gambling laws in South Africa. His ruling made online gambling at casinos in and by South Africans illegal when taking place at an unlicensed property. Currently South Africa has no licensing and regulation in place for online casinos, although betting online on horseracing and sports are licensed and regulated by various provincial authorities.
However, Pigg’s Peak won the right to appeal against the High Court’s decision last week and both they and Silver Sands Casino subsequently reopened to players last week pending the appeal.
The appeal is set to be heard in the Bloemfontein Appeal Court and although Pigg’s Peak did suspend operations after the initial judgement, the casino was soon back in action due to the fact that the leave to appeal allows the company to stay running. This statement was re-iterated by the company’s operations director, Lew Saul Koor who said “This good news entitles us to reopen the Internet Casino today in terms of the High Court rules which suspends the previous judgement”.
Silver Sands Casino also released a similar statement, saying “Please be advised that leave to appeal the decision by the High Court has been granted. This means that a decision regarding the legality of online gaming will be decided after the law has run its course. We can therefore resume our normal operations and continue offering online gaming services to the South African public.”
In spite of the appeal, the Gauteng Gambling Board (GGB) remains determined that they will win the appeal which will mean that online casinos will be outlawed until such time as they are licensed and regulated. A GGB spokesperson vowed that the organisation would continue to pursue operations conducting such businesses in what they term a “multi-pronged approach” including targeting ISPs, account processors and software providers.
As it currently stands, according to the parties involved, the subsequent appeal in the Bloemfontein Appeal Court at a future date will determine the legality of online gambling in South Africa.
Microgaming’s new The Fellowship of the Ring Video Slot coming soon
August 13, 2010
Microgaming announced this week that it will be launching the second online video slot in the Lord of the Rings trilogy entitled: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and it’s set to be even better than its outstanding predecessor.
This will be the first online video slot of its kind to employ Microgaming’s new Cinematic Spins technology, which will allow gamers to see HD clips from the films with every spin. Every aspect of the slot will be improved from the rich graphic animations to the sound quality, all of which will be integrated into scenes from each of the motion pictures within the trilogy based on the famous novels by J.R.R Tolkien (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King). These online slot games will be available to adults only in countries where online gaming is permitted.
According to Microgaming, the slot is going to be a total treat, especially for Lord of the Rings enthusiasts and will feature scenes with the Ringwraiths during the attack at Weathertop, Balrog in the Mines of Moria, and Uruk-hai in the woods of Middle-earth and of course, all of the film’s popular characters will be featured including Frodo, Aragorn, Arwen, Legolas, Saruman and the deadly Black Riders.
CEO of Microgaming, Roger Raatgever stated that Microgaming had always been ahead of the pack with innovative offerings but admittedly this game does push the boundaries of what an online slot can do. The company is confident that there will be high player demand for the game across its various online casino operators when it is released in September. Raatgever added that the licensing deal with Warner Bros for the right so the title is an important one for Microgaming and highlights the group’s commitment to partner with the right brands at the right time. He also acknowledged that The Lord of the Rings is one of the most successful and well loved brands on the planet and that Microgaming and its partners are excited at the prospect of combining this widespread appeal with their own groundbreaking software.
According to box office figures, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy generated $3 billion in revenue during its time at the cinemas. The films were also nominated for a total of 30 Academy Awards; of which they won 17, including Best Picture.
So look out for this exciting new addition to the Lord of the Rings saga at your favourite Microgaming casinos like Spin Palace and Golden Riviera Casino. Unfortunatelye these casinos don’t take players from South Africa. We can hope that Virgin Casino will get these games. We will keep you posted.
Online Gaming Market will almost double in the next 4 years
July 30, 2010
iGaming Business recently released the results of a survey conducted by the group which shows some interesting trends and positive predictions that are sure to set the industry abuzz with debate.
According to the report, the online casino industry’s business could grow by 80 percent between 2010 and 2014. It is purported that by the end of this year the online casino industry will be worth $4.7 billion globally in terms of gross gaming revenues. Furthermore, this figure will see increases of over 1 billion by the end of 2012, with figures amounting to $7.1 billion come the end of 2014 which is a 79% increase when compared to revenues generated at the end of 2009.
The iGaming report also monitors recent trends and strategies of successful online casino operators, and gives a complete breakdown of the history of the online casino industry and statistics on starts-ups and expanding enterprises within it. According to industry insiders interviewed in the survey, successful online casinos usually average $1.5million in start-up costs which is way less than their brick and mortar counterparts with huge staffing needs that require up to $300 million to start and operate.
The report also notes that larger non-gambling entities like media companies looking to expand into other markets or monetize existing online space and content are increasingly attracted to the online gambling market.
Rachel Church-Sanders, the author of the report stated that each online casino operator is looking to participate in a sector which is becoming increasingly socially acceptable and are thereby benefiting from liberalized regulatory structures in some markets leading to substantial growth across many key demographics including those that have previously been difficult to reach through other types of gaming or betting such as women. She added that the growth in social networking, mobile applications and micro transactions, as well as the growing number of people across the globe with access to broadband internet connections and wireless internet are all contributing factors to the positive future outlook for the casino sector.
It is definitely true that many casino operators are already integrating social networking sites and smart-phone applications into their marketing strategies to attract and retain new and younger players, however the success of these strategies is still to be proven.
While there are naysayers who will definitely disagree with the findings of this survey citing increased restrictions and regulations by governments to crack down on online gambling as well as economic recession and increased competition in the market as causes for concern and projections of lower profit figures, Church-Sanders insists that the industry consensus is that successful operators will continue to provide a wider variety of games and be successful.
Soon a casino at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town?
July 21, 2010
Sun International recently announced that it would challenge the Western Cape Gambling and Betting Board’s decision to allow one of the province’s existing four casinos to move into the Cape Town Metropole.
The move comes in a bid to halt the stiff competition that the group’s GrandWest Casino which is doing a thriving trade thanks to a 10 year exclusivity agreement which has recently come to an end. According to a Sun International media release, the group has found grounds to have the decision reconsidered and will be making representations through the public process.
Co-owner’s of GrandWest through their 29.24% share in SunWest, Grand Parade Investments (GPI), also released a statement that they would challenge the decision. GPI chairman Hassen Adams commented that the group would “engage the board on this decision, but we will not fight them on every issue”.
According to the gambling and betting board, the second casino will focus on niche high roller and tourist markets and will be located in an area that is untapped by GrandWest, which the board believes should not have a significant impact on the Grand West’s revenues. One of the possible locations for the casino is rumoured to be the V&A Waterfront.
Sun International and GPI both disagree for obvious reasons. The initial R1bn investment that it took to create Grand West a decade ago ensured that the casino was a major attraction and the only one of its kind in the city and having a competitor on its doorstep could definitely change things for their lucrative property. So lucrative in fact that in the year to end-June 2009, it churned out R1,642bn turnover before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation of R675m, making the property the largest contributor within Sun International’s portfolio.
On the other side of the coin, Sun International’s rivals are likely to welcome the decision and see it as a gateway to their own ventures into the province. In fact, late last year, the Gold Reef Casino group suggested to the Western Cape’s finance MEC Alan Winde that the issue of exclusive casino licences in the Cape Town metropole be reviewed. Gold Reef Casino group’s CEO Steven Joffe reportedly said at the time that he was eager to explore the possibility of moving the group’s Mykonos Casino which is situated in the Langebaan area closer to the city center.
To date, the gambling board has provided few details regarding the decision to end the exclusivity agreement with Sun International conclusively. It is reported that it is yet unknown even to those in the casino sector where the second casino will be located as well as what conditions will be attached to the license. It is certain that these factors will determine whether or not Sun International will step in to bid for the second license.
Bwin’s World Cup landslide profits
July 15, 2010
The 2010 Fifa World Cup held in South Africa recently, resulted in a record turnover volume compared to previous tournaments for publicly listed gaming giant Bwin who saw over 30 million bets closed and 900,000 active punters during the event, of which 213,000 were first time customers.
In comparison to other major football tournaments like EURO 2008, the sportsbook enjoyed a gross gaming revenue increase of just under 40% with an average income of just over 1.1 million Euros per day. These figures are double those generated during the 2006 Fifa World Cup.
Games with the largest number of wagers made included the Spain vs. Germany semi-final, the Netherlands vs. Spain final and finally the Uruguay vs Netherlands semi-final and the most popular wager was a three-way bet (1-X-2) in the 16 group stage on the Netherlands vs. Slovakia match.
Bwin is definitely a major contendor in the gaming industry and currently boasts-over 20 million registered players in more than 25 core markets on a number of platforms including casino, sportsbook, poker room, soft and skill games as well as video and audio streams of top sporting events. With this kind of expertise as well as calculated business ventures such as it’s successful and well timed launch into France as the only international online gaming provider to enter the market with both a sports betting and poker license in June of this year, it’s not difficult to see why Bwin has enjoyed such enormous growth and success. Investors must be smiling!
PartyGaming Growth Positive
July 9, 2010
Earlier this week online gambling giant PartyGaming announced that its second quarter revenue is expected to see an increase of up to 28%. This growth is largely due to the company’s recent acquisition of both Cashcade (a gambling software developer and marketing organisation) and the World Poker Tour as well as solid growth in the group’s online casino operation.
Despite growth, PartyGaming mentioned that revenue had been impacted by the results of the World Cup and subsequent favourable impact on sports betting margins, which lead to a decline of between 8% and 9% of poker players during the tournament. However, once the World Cup reaches its conclusion, the group looks forward to increased numbers and profits.
Online gambling is one of the top ten indicators of economic recovery and positive growth in this sector shows that the world may just be heading towards the end of the most recent recession which is great news for everyone.
World Cup 2010 Betting Tips
July 2, 2010
On the 11th of June the FIFA World Cup 2010 tournament kicked off in our back yard and has been the centre of attention not only for South Africans but for the world of sports. Home grown Bafana Bafana did our country proud despite not advancing to the next stage and there have been many upsets (like England being crushed by Germany 4-1) and in the last weeks now turn our attention to the final games and who will ultimately take home the glory and the cup and many are placing their bets on their favourites.
If you’ve never placed a sports bet before it may seem intimidating due to the sheer number of betting options available but it’s really quite simple. While some people don’t really care about losing their wagers too much and just “Go with their gut” which is great and can be fun, we at Amuse.co.za prefer to take a bit more of a strategic approach and calculated risk mixed in with that “gut feeling”.
Whatever angle you decide to take, our team has put together a few pointers to help you get things right:
- Set aside a “betting budget” and stick to it… don’t get caught up the dream and keep going when you’ve depleted that fund.
- Remember history: only 7 countries have ever won the World Cup, only 2 countries have ever retained it: Italy and Brazil and no team has retained it since 1962 and finally, only Brazil has ever won a World Cup outside their own continent. That said a “Dark horse” almost never wins.
- Do your homework: find out as much as you can about the various teams and their players, make sure you keep track of which players they will be fielding and who is out due to yellow and red cards. Looking at previous games and their scores will help you to determine their chances. The more you know the more objective you can be.
- Start out slowly: If you’ve never placed a bet before, start with a single bet because a small profit is better than any loss. Treat your first bet as a learning experience, learn how bets and odds work and enjoy it no matter what.
- The earlier you bet the better odds you get (like betting on the outright winner now). Odds change regularly and the closer one comes to the match the worse the odds get. For example, in the last 48 hours major sportsbooks have clipped Brazil’s odds ahead of their highly anticipated World Cup Quarter Final match up against the Netherlands, making Brazil the firm favourites at 1.9 while the Netherlands odds trade at 4.5.
- Long shots payout highly for a reason: They are long shots and don’t often win…not to say that they don’t ever win, but more often than not they don’t.
- You can cover both the favourites Brazil and Spain and minimise your losses when you bet online with the free bet feature offered by some books. This enables you to place an initial bet on Brazil and then a free bet on Spain.
- Beware of “hot tips”, especially if you have to pay for them. This is a time for fraudsters and cons, so never pay for advice.
Virgin Casino offers Microgaming games for South Africa
June 24, 2010
Being part of Richard Branson’s Virgin empire we are never really surprised by anything that Virgin Casino does…it may sound unfair but it’s true, simply because the Virgin brand just inspires a certain level of expectation. The casino’s latest announcement however really did make us sit up and pay attention… Virgin casino has entered into a partnership with Microgaming, the online casino industry’s leading software provider.
You may be shrugging your shoulders at this point and thinking “So what, they are changing software providers” but that’s the beauty of it, they aren’t!
The casino will be retaining their basic WagerWorks software platform but has already launched the famous Microgaming Video Slot Thunderstruck and during the months to come the casino will be rolling out a portfolio of over 400 of Microgaming’s Flash casino games, this in addition to the existing Cryptologic, Fremantle and Ash Gaming powered games already available at the casino. And the best part of the entire deal is that for the first time, South Africans will be able to play Microgaming powered games.
Another industry first is to see Microgaming partner with any group that doesn’t run its software exclusively, so we would have loved to be a fly on the wall in that meeting! But no matter how the outcome was achieved, it seems that Virgin Casino really is on the fast track to online casino dominance and giving customers what they want. This sentiment was echoed in the words of Simon Burridge, CEO of Virgin Casino who announced that their customers told them that they wanted a wider range of games and that they would specifically love to play Microgaming games as a part of the Virgin Games offering. He added that partnering with Microgaming, the world leader in its field, was a big step forward for Virgin Games customers and that the company looked forward to launching its games with a range of promotions over the months to come.
But then again…did you really expect any less? Visit Virgin Casino
Poker Channel for South Africa
May 28, 2010
South African’s have been witness to a number of ads on both TV and radio for numerous online casinos for the past year or so and will soon be seeing some poker action as the World Series of Poker makes its first stop in the country. It was also recently announced that The Poker Channel will be getting in on the action as it expands into South Africa in June 2010.
The Poker Channel which was launched in 2005 is one of Europe’s oldest and most popular gaming networks boasting over 20 million subscribers and looks set to be a hit here too. The network will be telecast through digital satellite and will be made available to over two million South Africans who will have front row seats to the top poker tournaments in Europe and the United States on a daily basis.
The networks Commercial Director, Chris White, believes that their steps into South America and Africa are a tremendous milestone for the channel and that it is an indication of the fact that like online casinos, poker continues to grow in popularity across the globe. He added that the company was working with the best local television companies and poker rooms in the region to televise top tournaments, help viewers improve their game and choose where to play.
So for all poker fans, make sure you look out for The Poker Channel, it is sure to be a treat! For more online casino news, click here.
Titan Casino is making an effort to Conservation
May 13, 2010
Conservation of wildlife depends on us. As a species, we take from nature what and when we want, never thinking of the impact it has on our environment or wildlife. Many efforts are being made across the world to preserve our environment and wildlife. Organizations like PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), is one that needs constant funding to fight for us all in preservation of these animals. Not only do they focus on Wildlife preservation, but also for any animal anywhere in the world, even for our best housemates like our pets.
As animals can’t talk or protest, PETA ensures human interaction is possible to countries or companies who are out to exploit animals for the sake of luxury and beauty! I just love their statement: “Animals are not ours to eat; Animals are not ours to wear; Animals are not ours to experiment on; Animals are not ours to use for entertainment and Animals are not ours to abuse in any way”!
You can make a difference by playing casino slots at Titan Casino. They have dedicated slots to raise awareness of endangered animals. They introduced NEW slots games like: Panther Moon; Safari Heat and Dolphin Reef. A small contribution of takings on these slots will be given to PETA for the wonderful work they do in this field! When resources are stretched to a max in these economic times, it is a breeze of fresh air to see Titan Casino stepping up to make a difference!
Manager at Titan Casino, Robin Steele said: “We are encouraged by the launch of our new games and hope to bring much needed attention to this important issue. Titan Casino takes pride in providing world-class entertainment to our members with these exotic-themed games”
A variety of innovative game elements will be found within these new designed games. It’s time to put on your thinking cap, as you can select options throughout playing these games. Boredom should be something of the past as this is adrenaline pumping action! Find out more and play some games for a great cause by making use of this e-gaming platform at TitanCasino.com.
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Recent News
- Big Kahuna: Snakes & Ladders Video Slot
- A new website to save money
- Online Casino Legality in South Africa will be decided in Bloemfontein
- Microgaming’s new The Fellowship of the Ring Video Slot coming soon
- Online Gaming Market will almost double in the next 4 years
- Soon a casino at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town?
- Bwin’s World Cup landslide profits
- PartyGaming Growth Positive
- World Cup 2010 Betting Tips
- Virgin Casino offers Microgaming games for South Africa
