GAMING FOR AFRICA
Gaming for Africa
Casino International’s Africa partner is the excellent Gaming For Africa magazine, bringing you the continent’s latest developments.
Biggest Jackpot in Sun International History
Bringing a Woman’s Touch to a Man’s
World When Bonolo Ramaisa was the only woman in her class of electrical engineering students, it set the tone for her future career. “My studies were the foundation of what I’d
deal with in future,” said the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) graduate. Today the North West-born 40-year-old is
Boardwalk Casino’s Technical Gaming Manager and has been in the gaming industry throughout her career, starting at GrandWest Casino in Cape Town for her internship. For the past three years,
she has been responsible for keeping Boardwalk’s 700 slot machines and 21 tables in running order as head of the technical department. “Different machines offer different
experiences for our customers, so we take note of what is most popular so we can meet the demand and expectations,” said Ramaisa. While she is able to get her hands dirty, and does so once in a while, these days her time is spent in meetings, “strategising, coming up with solutions to issues and delegating”. “My job is challenging and keeps me on my
The money shot with Sibaya’s General Manager, Virath Gobrie, and Sun International’s biggest jackpot payout
One lucky Sibaya Casino punter from Durban has walked off with a staggering R13-million jackpot – the largest single casino win in Sun International history. The previous record was a R10-million win at GrandWest Casino in Cape Town in 2016. The man was playing on an Aristocrat machine in the Sibaya Privé which has a R10 denomination with a maximum bet of 500, which equates to R5 000 per spin. He had been playing the maximum bet when
the machine went into a special feature which awarded him 10 free games. “This feature offers multipliers of up to 15 times, and the customer was lucky to win some great line combinations
30 SEPTEMBER 2023
which resulted in the win,” said Virath Gobrie, Sibaya Casino General Manager. “The winner is a regular customer who has won a number of jackpots over the years. It is wonderful to see our loyal MVG members striking it lucky, and we hope he will enjoy his riches. “Sibaya is known to be the ‘Kingdom of
Winners - over the last 12 months, we have paid out 54 individual jackpots of more than R1 million rand with an average pay-out of R2,1-million,” said Gobrie. “Our Salon Privé was recently renovated so our winner’s good fortune was made in the luxurious new surroundings, befitting a win of this magnitude.”
toes. Recently, new notes were issued by the Reserve Bank so we had to rush and change the software on the floor. You have to anticipate technology changes and run with it. But since I don’t like being too comfortable, and like learning new things, the role suits me,” she said. Keeping the casino operational means her phone is always on, but Ramaisa said a technical team is always on site to assist customers with after-hours emergencies. Aside from her Diploma in Electrical
Engineering, she also holds a BTech in Project Management, both from CPUT. “I started at GrandWest doing in-service
training while I was studying, after which I joined permanently in a technician role for two years.” She left to get married and re-joined GrandWest in 2011, was promoted to Technical Shift Manager, and then sent by Sun International to open Time Square in Pretoria as Technical Shift Manager. “I worked there for two years and was
promoted to Technical Manager at Golden Valley for two years and then moved to Boardwalk in 2020.” In Gqeberha, she has three technical shift managers reporting to her who have 26 people reporting to them. “As women, I believe we put pressure on ourselves to achieve - especially if we are among men.”
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