THE Mangaung Sun was awarded a Free State casino license on June 9, which will see R220m invested in a new casino and family leisure complex at the hotel, situated 10km south east of the Bloemfontein CBD. The new entertainment complex will consist of a casino with 10 tables and 230 slot machines, a Sun International-managed 80-bed hotel, a 150-seat conference centre, a sports bar, a 120-seat buffet restaurant, two fast food outlets and a children's games area with a creche. Chairperson of the Free State Gambling Board, Joe Mokoka, said at the official announcement that the Free State gambling industry had fulfilled the board’s expectations in its commitment to the National Responsible Gambling Programme (NRGP) and that it deserve recognition for that. “We should not ignore the fact that with gambling comes the risk, albeit in a minority of cases, of individual dependency and financial stress. This is why the board has instituted strict regulations to ensure that gambling licensees in the Free State complied with government's objective of minimising the incidence of problem gambling,” said Mokoka. Sun International has a 70% stake in Mangaung and its empowerment partners in the project include the Thabo Community Trust and Etapele Investments. The development is expected to create 560 direct and 700 indirect jobs during the construction phase of the project. (Lucy Siebert)
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