At the end of the 2023/24 financial year, South Africa boasted 37 land-based casinos in operation across the country. The entire gambling industry in that period saw more than R1 trillion in wagers played — with a large percentage of it happening online.
The modern convenience of just grabbing a device and loading an online casino to explore hundreds of games has become the norm. It has also helped wash over the fact that the land-based scene is still a pretty important part of the industry in South Africa.
However, it’s not been a case of online casinos being the downfall of established brick-and-mortar operations. The two exist in some harmony side-by-side because, ultimately, while both thrive in the same sector, they offer very different experiences.
The Convenience Battle
Why would anyone head to a land-based casino in this modern age of online casinos that can be accessed anywhere with a mobile device? They are typically seen as far less convenient than the online gambling scene. The location of the nearest casino, for example, may be far away from home — therefore the cost and time involved with travel will add up.
A visit to a casino, much like going out to watch your favorite soccer team live in person, can also incur other types of costs as well, such as food and drinks. So, there is more of a planned experience type of feel about heading to a land-based casino — but that still doesn’t stop them from being so popular. What is the great appeal?
The State of Casino Gambling
Historically South Africa has placed a big emphasis on land-based casinos, which provide a great source of revenue through gambling taxes. They have been around long and dominated the scene, even in the early days of online casinos trying to shake up the industry.
There has been relentless growth in the online presence of casinos, however, and a great example is shown by the volume of site information available on AskGamblers. Their experts take in-depth looks at the ins and outs of many remote casino platforms and subsequently award unbiased ratings.
By providing detailed reviews of specific areas like welcome bonuses, game types, and user interfaces, the valuable information helps players sort through the many available options — thanks to plenty of variety and digital versions of all the popular casino games like slots, blackjack, and roulette. Faster internet speeds have helped to facilitate this growth as well as handheld devices, but online casinos have not made land-based ones obsolete.
In-Person Trust
Plenty of people are skeptical about making online transactions — which is unavoidable at online casino sites. Many feel greater trust in having cash in hand and playing physically at a land-based casino. There is an element of more personal comfort and security about it, especially knowing that if there is a problem, a real person can be contacted right there in the casino to offer aid.
For some, it could also be a firmer trust in physical slot machines than a “mysterious” online game. There’s no discernible difference between the two, of course, as both real and online slots are run by sophisticated software with tools like random number generators driving them. But there’s something more real about having the tactile experience of putting money into a machine, selecting paylines, and pressing the spin button.
The Social Scene
There is no reason why a player can’t enjoy a blend of both land-based and online casino play. But one area where the former wins out for many people is the social aspect. Along with being a well-embedded part of the South African gambling scene, land-based casinos serve as something of a gathering place.
Sitting at the blackjack table and striking up a conversation with a stranger, for example, is a big part of making the effort to go to a land-based casino — while live dealer games exist online and provide interaction through text chat, it’s a much-diluted experience.
The social aspect of land-based casinos has a wide reach. Going out with a group of friends to hang around the slot machines, or gather around the roulette or craps table, adds to the overall experience and entrenches that social element.
It is a much bigger sensory experience physically playing at a casino too. At some point in the night in a casino, there is going to be interaction with someone — whether that’s a cashier, a dealer, customer service, or just other players. Even just sitting back and people-watching can be an invigorating part of a real-world casino experience.
Entertainment Value
That social aspect bleeds over into other areas of the land-based casino experience as well. Casinos are not just about gambling, they are often active entertainment hubs, from dining experiences to shows. Extracurricular experiences — which can range from coffee bars to fast food — are part of the experience and a great lure to get players to empty their pockets.
A night out at a show isn’t likely just to be the start and the end of the experience. Having to walk across the casino floor to get to another part of the casino means that the call of those flashing lights and sounds is likely too much to resist.
The Land-Based Scene
As of the close of the 2023/24 financial year, there were 37 operational casinos in South Africa. However, that number was one less than what was recorded for the 2022/23 year. But still, it all equates to more than 22,000 operational slots within casinos and more than 950 table games.
Not surprisingly, most of these are found in areas near the coast, as the prime location helps to pull in tourists, which boosts the turnover. But collectively, there is a good range of small-city casinos, and Gauteng has the highest number of in-casino slots, holding around 37% of the country’s total share. The province also has more table games than any other and, not surprisingly, generates the most turnover of all areas.
Holding Steady
The popularity of land-based casinos has been holding steady since 2021/22 but has yet to return to the highs of the mid-2000 financial years when it was booming and generating almost a third more than the industry does now.
Part of that, of course, has been down to the rise of online casinos. Even though they are not provided by South African operators, players head to offshore platforms to play. But land-based casinos remain popular, as they offer a visceral and tangible experience that the online platforms can’t deliver.