Gambling on everything but transport

THE GAMBLING industry has opened a vast new medium of freight imports to this country, with container-loads of machines, tables and accessories landing at South African harbours at regular intervals.
We had three 40-footers and four 20-footers unloaded at the Gaming for Africa exhibition last month with all the latest models on display, says Paul Lawrence, director of Z.A.Trans who has organised the exhibition for the past three years with business partner Peter Schmidt-Loffler.
The latest exhibition displayed a small portion of the volume of gaming requirements which have been entering the country and are scheduled for the future, since new casino licences have been, and are being, awarded.
Z.A.Trans has the contract for both Tsogo Sun and London Casinos for their Gauteng projects. The former will open shortly with a temporary licence at the Northgate Sundome while building their new Fourways super park. London Casinos are building a new venue on the Vaal River.
These machines are needed for installation at Northgate in the next two months, says Lawrence. There are a further 25 containers on the water, due to land any day now, and many more coming. It's become a real, live new area of the freighting industry.
Pride of place at the Gaming for Africa exhibition, however, went to a Bugatti saloon, one of only 21 in the world and valued at R1 500 000. It had been shipped out to this country from Austria for show purposes only. In addition 200 cu m airfreight was brought in to complete the exhibition requirements.