Botswana is one of Africa’s success stories; a country of diverse natural habitats, bountiful resources and a rapidly growing tourism sector, attracted by its proximity to South Africa and also by its magnificent game reserves and national parks. Botswana’s casinos are a growing sector of the economy, and casinos have sprung up in a number of cities across the country, including the capital Gaborone and the northern capital Francistown. Consequently, the Botswana government has taken great steps to ensure that the development of Botswana casinos continues in line with the increasing number of foreign visitors.
Francistown is the largest city in northern Botswana and is also home to two casinos, the Marang Hotel and the Admiral at the Thapama Hotel. The city was the site of southern Africa’s first “gold rush” in the mid-19th century, drawing people from all over the world in search of their fortune. Unfortunately for them, gold proved difficult and expensive to extract, and most mining operations fell into disuse, although a few remain. Today, Francistown’s casinos give visitors a chance to get lucky; There is still gold here, if you are only lucky enough to find it!
Aside from Francistown, the other main hub for Botswana casinos is the capital, Gaborone. This is home to the largest casinos in Botswana, the Grand Palm Hotel Casino Resort which has 17 table games and over 250 slot machines and video games, the Gaborone Sun Casino which is the oldest and largest casino in Botswana , as well as a new development at the Gaborone Hotel. As a result, the capital is making a bid to attract some of its northern rival’s gambling business and become a valuable stopover for foreign visitors en route to the Chobe and Okavango national parks in northern Botswana. , which are the main tourist attractions in the country today.
Africans love to gamble, and Botswana’s casinos are designed to appeal to both locals and foreign visitors. Recognizing this, the government has been careful not to overburden the Botswana casino industry with regulations and red tape, although the industry is obviously carefully scrutinized to ensure that it upholds the highest standards of probity. Consequently, the Botswana casino industry continues to expand to meet the demand of visitors from far and wide, eager to find their fortune, like the gold diggers of yore.
