Land-based Casinos in South Africa are Getting Less Traffic

South Africa is a dream setting for gambling operators and casinos. Allow me to rephrase that, South Africa was an ideal setting. These days, however, it seems as though they are having a bit of trouble keeping the numbers up.  

The reason behind South Africa being such an ideal place for gambling operators to settle down is quite simple; South Africans love to gamble. Polls indicate that up to 80% of the nation’s adult population gambles on a regular basis.  

South African gambling law is very liberal and allows just about everything, making gambling easily accessible and clean. Nationals can enjoy casinos, sports betting, poker tournaments, and even live bingo games easily. This has been the case since about 1994, and the industry has seemed to blossom ever since. 

It appears that casinos have just hit one of their first bumps in what was thought to be the ever-expanding road to prosperity. South Africa's biggest casino and hotels group Sun International recently posted a 36% fall in first-half profit.  

Apparently, fewer people visited Sun International’s hotels and casino due to the economic downturn. Imagine that. Another possible cause for the drop in business to this group of brick and mortar casinos could be the increase in popularity of internet gambling in South Africa. 

Many international companies are interested in opening online casinos and online sportsbooks in South Africa. As of yet, Ladbrokes has been the only company that was successfully able to set up shop. 

Though numbers may be down at the moment, they are likely to rise dramatically in the near future, especially in light of the 2010 FIFA World Cup which will be held this summer. Fans from around the world are bound to go to the big games and bet on them from the comfort of their own homes.