Proposed South African casino legislation

One of the largest casinos in South Africa has warned the government about new legislation that would allow the relocation of licensed gambling grounds in the Western Cape province.

According to a G3Newswire report, the Western Casino and Racing Games Act of 1996 ranked casinos in the province's top five municipalities, and also granted each venue a ten-year period of exclusivity.

However, that provision has reportedly expired with lawmakers in the South African country who are now considering whether a follow-up bill to amend the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Act in 2018 should be ratified. The move allowed licensed gaming firms to relocate their casinos to more lucrative locations within the province, with plans that, as stated, were in the works that will bring new locations to the Tigerberg and Cape Town Metropolitan Bay areas.

Anthony Leeming, CEO of Sun International, said the new legislation would hurt GrandWest casinos. He also allegedly stated that the move could lead to a 24% reduction in annual revenue from game winnings, at the expense of a projected 20% drop in attendance.