South Africa’s Oldest Casino Resort Burns to the Ground Peermont Hotels Casinos and Resorts’ Mahikeng property - Mmabatho Palms, Hotel, Casino and Convention Resort - was razed to the ground in September.
An aerial view of the devastation wrought at Mmabatho Palms Casino Resort. (PIC CREDIT: UNKNOWN)
WHILE SOME guests were treated for smoke inhalation, no fatalities or serious injuries were been reported among guests staying at the hotel, and miraculously, the casino operation, along with the convention centre emerged unscathed, allowing casino operations to commence 2 weeks after the devastating fire. The full scale of the damage is still being ascertained, but it is confirmed that the 4-star Walmont hotel has been destroyed (with exception of the wing containing the Executive Villas). Peermont Management also confirmed that all employee jobs are safe, and counselling has been made available to all employees and guests affected by the tragedy. “We thank the management team on site during the crisis for their hard work and are sincerely grateful that there were no fatalities or serious injuries to either our guests or employees,” said Peermont Chief Executive Officer, Nigel Atherton. Mmabatho Palms Hotel Casino and Convention Resort has along history, and according to Peermont is the first casino resort in South Africa, built by Sol Kerzner in 1977, opened as Mmabatho Sun and subsequently acquired by Tusk Resorts in 1997. Peermont Hotels Casinos and Resorts acquired the resort in August 2006 and it was rebranded as Mmabatho Palms in June 2009. The hotel plays an important role in the tourism sector of North West Province.
Cola Launches African Cryptocurrency for Gamblers Cola Holding has announced the development of their own cryptocurrency which is connected to the gambling platform currently being rolled out across various markets internationally. Placing an emphasis particularly on the continent of Latin America and Africa, and gambling licenses already obtained in Kenya, Zambia, Ethiopia, and Curacao, the company is finalizing licences for an additional 7 more African countries, with more nations currently in the final stages of legal and market research evaluation. WITH STAKING, repurchasing, speculation and gambling possible directly on the platform, the availability of Cola Coin will grant players unparalleled access to local as well as international fixed odds betting and casino gambling. Cola Holding enables players to enjoy gambling products while simultaneously eliminating the hassles of currency exchanges and complicated payment methods. Cola Coin is currently in the process of being listed on various exchanges. The ambitious growth strategy for Cola Holding acknowledges the limitations of the
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Gaming For Africa
current COVID-19 climate internationally, while also recognizing the expansion of land-based services as a means for people to interact via online, mobile, and cash solutions for gambling more than ever before. The current objective involves capturing substantial market share through the operation of their own gambling platform through licensing gambling companies and then distributing the software as a white-label solution through Cola Coin, which will be offered to other operators. Cola Group is investing $14.5 million to accelerate the expansion strategy of its
iGaming arm Cola.bet. This new investment follows on the back of Cola.bet securing a fourth African gambling license in Nigeria, the continent’s second-largest gambling market. The addition adds to Cola.bet’s African operations in Zambia, Kenya and Ethiopia. The latest sports betting license was granted by the Lagos State Lotteries Board to a locally incorporated Cola.bet subsidiary company, Cola Games Limited. According to Cola Group, the Nigerian market is similar to Ethiopia’s in that both are “very retail-centric rather than internet-based.”
