Casinos contribute R134m towards social upliftment programmes

© Pavel Losevsky – 123RF.com

The report, titled Survey of Casino Entertainment in South Africa 2015, measures the economic and social impact of casinos by analysing publically available data and in-depth information provided by CASA members.

The survey reported that education received the lion's share with R56m (42%) being invested in projects from this sector. "The need for quality education remains the cornerstone of our member's corporate social investment (CSI) strategies. The industry strongly believes that poverty and underdevelopment can be addressed through quality education with many of our members investing in bursary and youth empowerment programmes," says adv. Themba Ngobese, CEO of CASA.

Development projects

According to the survey, R32m (24%) was invested in community development projects and R15m went into HIV/Aids, health and welfare programmes. "Upgrades to public infrastructure, housing, community centres and schools are just some of the development projects our members have funded in the local communities within which they operate. Ensuring that local communities are uplifted and positively benefit from our casinos' presence remains an integral part of our industry's social investment approach," says Ngobese.

A further contribution of R8.7m went towards sports, arts and culture and R21.8m towards other CSI projects. "We are satisfied that our CSI contributions are making a difference to communities across South Africa. CSI in the casino sector is more strategic with members aligning CSI spend to core business objectives. Our members are actively seeking out beneficial partnerships that drive long-term sustainability for the benefit of all South Africans," says Ngobese.