Cape Verde turning to hub of tourism and casino gambling in Africa

Cape Verde officially called the Republic of Cape Verde, and the country consists of 10 volcanic islands located in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of West Africa.

Cape Verde has been independent since 1975, before which it had belonged to the Portuguese, which still reflects in the country’s official language and main religion. The law regulating casino gambling in Cape Verde is the Law N0. 77/VI/2005 made gambling legal in Cape Verde in 2005, though, the first licensed gambling facility opened only in 2012. The act regulating gambling in Cape Verde is the Regulamenta de funcinamento dos Casinos e salas de Jogos.

Following this act, betting on the island is legal within certain designated gambling areas, required to locate in 4-5 star hotels. These designated gambling areas can either be permanent or temporary. There are five islands with stable gambling areas Boa Vista, Maio, Sal, Santiago, and Sao Vicente. While in 2015, the government saw the regulatory gap aimed to create a comprehensive legal framework that covers both retail and the online sector the Law N0. 77/VI/2005 amended to make online gambling legal but tightly controlled in Cape Verde. Players remain able to visit foreign casino sites at present. Still, the government may take additional actions to forcibly funnel residents to the one authorized provider of online gambling in the nation in years to come.

In contrast, interestingly to know that the first notable land-based casino in Cape Verde is the ₤5m Casino Royal attached to the Hilton Hotel operating on the tourist city of Satan Maria, Sal Island. Further, with a significant source of Cape Verde’s income deriving from tourism, sensible gambling legislation has attracted foreign investment with efforts that have yielded fruit. That has seen considerable investment from Macau Legend Development Limited, a $273 million casino resort, is under construction in the capital city Praia, on Santiago Island on the beach of Gamboa that will be launch at the end of the year 2020.

According to a local report, the license granted to David Chow, a Macau based investor who already runs an online gambling operation in the country under the Macau Legend Subsidiary CV Entertainment Co brand of 25 years license with 10-year monopoly, and 75-year land concession. Perhaps it is yet to know if the casino resort will still be launch as planned by the end of the year due to the Covid-19 pandemic as there have not been official reports regarding this. However, Cape Verde, with several international routes connected to the rest of the world, the country is quickly becoming one of the tourist destinations in Africa, which boasts some white beaches, nightlife, quiet holiday, mountains, and culture.

These attract tourists from North Africa, West Africa, Europe, South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Thereby, creating a new market especially with the trend that more and more Chinese are emigrating and investing in the country, saves them from a long flight to Asia. According to the archipelago’s National Statistic Institutive, the number of tourists has been growing steadily; in 2019, more than 2.45 million overnight stays were booked by foreign tourists, a year on year increase of 4.6%. According to the same data, the average hotel occupancy rate in Cape Verde was 60% in the first quarter and 4.9% in the second quarter, while the average stay was 5.8 and 6.1 nights, respectively.

Cape Verde welcomed more than 765,600 tourists in 2018. The government has set a target of reaching 1 million tourists by 2021 through measures such as Visa-free travel, incentives for private investments, and improvements in maritime transports flights between the country’s islands. However, the foreseeable projection doesn’t look realistic due to the Covid-19 crisis. However, it is still interesting to know that the tourism sector and casino industry work hand-in-hand in the West African nation, contributing substantial revenue to the country’s GDP.

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Adeleye Awakan

Author E-play Africa, sports betting reviews, thoughtful leardership articles in Africa gambling industry, marketing gaming platforms in Africa with strong networking relationship with gaming operators in Africa, Expertise in PR, marketing communication, and consultant on gaming in Africa.

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Adeleye Awakan

Author E-play Africa, sports betting reviews, thoughtful leardership articles in Africa gambling industry, marketing gaming platforms in Africa with strong networking relationship with gaming operators in Africa, Expertise in PR, marketing communication, and consultant on gaming in Africa.