South African casino operators sign a code of conduct

Representatives of the South African swiftly rising casino industry have signed the first national gambling industry code of conduct, making South Africa one of the first countries to globally do so, withstanding the US. South Africa's gambling groups include Sun International and Peermont Global and so do many others.

Casino Association chairperson Peter Bacon claimed, while announcing the conclusion of the code of conduct in Cape Town on Sunday, that it would obligate all casinos in South Africa to obey strict protocols planned to encourage a tradition of responsible gambling in the nation. "Casa's (Casino Association) members are property owners, employers and also taxpayers and they place the highest possible priority on their obligatory part in corporate citizenship and social responsibility," said Bacon. "This code of conduct is our contract with the people of South Africa and it binds our members to a several extensive measures that strengthen our rigorous responsible gambling policies."

Casa represents the South African licensed casinos. In the last eight years alone, this new gambling industry is responsible for more than 12 billion Rand in new investments to each of the nine South African provinces, adding more than 36 billion Rand to the GDP in economic multipliers terms. Statistics provided by Casa show that the gambling industry has created about 100,000 jobs, both direct and indirect, and in 2003-2004 alone added nearly 2.7 billion Rand to government tax revenue. Furthermore, the casino industry has greatly advanced the tourism and leisure industry in the nation. Derek Auret, Casa CEO, claimed lately that this new code of conduct had its roots in the commitment made by the Casa members to the social goals which were inherent in the casino industry's public answerability due to it's goverment licensing to trade in their community.

Credited to: business.iafrica.com