Nigeria: Sun International opens casino in Federal Palace Hotel

According to the Divisional Director, Sun International, Kurt Peter, "The opening of the casino is just a taste of what's to come. In the next phase of the upgrading of the Federal Palace complex, the Federal Towers hotel which is currently closed, will undergo a complete refurbishment and will reopen as a three star hotel. Plans are underway to construct the first phase of a state-of-the-art Swim and Recreation Club, which will provide hotel guests and members with a superior sport and relaxation facility."

The Casino houses both Slots and Tables games operated in US Dollars. Naira can be exchanged for Dollars at the casino Cash Desk. The Slots area has 195 state-of-the-art slot machines, with denominations ranging from us$ 0.01 to us$ 2. Federal Palace casino offers a wide range of traditional reel slots, the latest multi-line video slots, video poker and Touch Bet Roulette.

Using a smart card, the customer is able to play various machine denominations without having to change their card. The games on offer rival that of US casinos, having the very best in terms of audio and visual display together with exciting features to keep the customer entertained.

Sun International is the pioneer of Smart Card gaming in Southern Africa. The coin less gambling technology presents added security and improved convenience which removes the inconvenience of carrying large amount of cash and coins.

All cash is loaded onto your smart card electronically and is available for play as soon as the card is inserted into a slot machine. Bets are loaded electronically into slot machines and winnings are automatically recorded on smart cards. Amounts, including winnings, may be collected immediately from the Cash Desk or at a later stage.

All slot machines are fitted with note acceptors which are activated on insertion of the smart card. Federal Palace Casino machines accept us$ 10, us$ 20, us$ 50 and us$ 100 notes and are designed to register the US Dollar value of each note inserted on the credit meter on the slot machine. On cash out, credits will be loaded back onto the smart card and these will be converted to notes at the Cash Desk.

The new casino has eight Tables games ranging from American Roulette, Black Jack to Raise 'em Poker. Table bets range from us$ 1, us$ 2 and us$ 5 on American Roulette, us$ 5, us$ 10 and us$ 25 on Blackjack and us$ 5 and us$ 10 on Raise 'em Poker. Casino value chips are used for play on the tables and can be purchased from the Cash Desk and at all of the tables. You can also load money onto your smart card at the Cash Desk and use this card to buy chips at the table games.

The casino features small bar and lounge area, which open onto an al fresco terrace that acts as a smoking area. This area promises to be Victoria Island's newest source of entertainment offering scrumptious snacks and excellent wines and spirits.

An entrance fee of us$ 20 is levied. Patrons receive smart cards with an option of receiving either us$ 15 in promotional slots credits, or non-negotiable tables chips. A us$ 5 deposit will be returned to the customer on the return of the card on departure.

The Federal Palace Casino also offers customer's membership to the Sun International "Most Valued Guest Programme". The Most Valued Guest Club is a Sun International innovation rewarding guests for their play.

There are four levels of MVG membership which include Maroon, Silver, Gold and Platinum. Each level offers distinctive privileges at all Sun International casinos including finest service and benefits, which become increasingly valuable as customers move up.

MVG status equally offers outstanding rewards and benefits such as significantly reduced accommodation rates, slots and tables Playback points, discounts at our restaurant, invitations to special events and much more.

Peter says the transformation of the hotel will be in several stages starting with the refurbishment of the Olympic size swimming pool will commence at the beginning of 2010.