Casinos: Africa, Australia

For all the world travelers out there, and I count myself among you; traveling is my second delight after the casino experience.

I revel in the sounds and sites of new cultures, new vistas, new experiences, and now so many casinos. Double bonus! Let's explore.

This casino travelogue highlights some of the most elegant and finest casinos in Africa, Australia and New Zealand. After all, we do deserve the best, mais oui, but of course.

There are almost 3000 gaming locations outside the US and Canada to include casinos, racinos, horse/dog tracks and cruise ships.

A brief explanation of the legend for this article follows:

I list the total number of gaming locations for the region/continent, then countries in each region/continent that has a gaming location and in order of number of gaming locations with the highest first.

For example, the Oceania area to include Australia and New Zealand boasts 480 casinos with Australia at the top of the list.

HC=Hotel-Casino. (SF)=Size in Square Feet. D=Dress Code-Jacket Required. E=Entrance Fee Required.

Games=G B=Baccarat. BJ=Blackjack. C=Craps. P=Poker. R=Roulette. CSP=Caribbean Stud Poker. S=Slots (Includes VP).

Africa (175)

South Africa, Egypt, Kenya, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Equatorial Guinea, Tanzania, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, Cameroon, Namibia, Seychelles, Swaziland, Zambia, Ghana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Benin, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Gambia, Ivory Coast, Liberia and Uganda. We visit casinos at the bottom, top and middle of this continent.

South Africa:

1) Suncoast Casino and Entertainment World, 1 Battery Beach Road, Durban, Kwazulu-Natal 4359, South Africa. HC, D, SF=75,000. Web: www.suncoastcasino.co.za. G=S, BJ, C, R. Punto Banco. Located 32 miles west of Pretoria, this complex is the largest in South Africa with a long list of amenities including an entertainment center, golf course, tennis ranch, and wildlife preserve. Lost City rooms offer a dreamlike, mythical African setting.

Egypt:

2) Inter Casino - Ramses Hilton Hotel, 1115 Comiche El Nile Street, Cairo, Al Quahirah Egypt. HC. Web: www.cairo-ramses.hilton.com. G=S, BJ, R. Punto Banco.

3) Casino Semiramis - Inter-Continental Hotel, Hotel Semiramis Inter-Continental Corniche El Nile, Garden City Cairo, Al Quahirah 11511 Egypt. HC.

Web: www.casinosaustria.com/cai_cas_casinos.aspx . G=S, BJ, R. Punto Banco.

4) Cairo Marriott Hotel & Omar Khayyam Casino, Saraya El Gezira St.Zamalek Cairo, Al Quahirah Egypt. HC.

Web: marriott.com/CAIEG. G=S, BJ, R. Punto Banco.

The word is that Omar Sharif can be found expertly playing cards at one of these palatial casinos.

Kenya:

5) Casino de Paradise at the Safari Park Hotel & Country Club, Thika Road, Nairobi, Municipality Kenya. HN, HC, D, E, SF=15,000. G=S, B, BJ, R. Chemin de Fer, Pontoon.

Oceania (480)

Australia, New Zealand, Reunion, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Northern Mariana Islands.

Australia

Over 400 casinos/sporting clubs and race courses are located here. These three Australian Casinos below offer the full compliment of games, and some that are Australian Specialties like Two Up, Manila Poker, and French Boule. There are no entrance fees, and all are open 24 hours.

1) Star City, 80 Pyrmont Street, Sydney, New South Wales 2009 Australia. Web: www.starcity.com.au. HC, SF=104,000. G=S, B, BJ, C, P, R. Sic Bo.

2) Crown Entertainment Complex, 8 Whiteman Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3006 Australia. Web: www.crowncasino.com.au. HC, SF=221,000. G=S, B, BJ, C, CSP, P, R. Sic Bo and Pai Gow Poker. There are 28 restaurants for your dining pleasure.

These are two of the top ten casinos in the world, a must-see for visitors to the land of OZ.

I have visited both these casinos and enjoyed the fun, took in the history and was thrilled by sights and sounds of the cities of Sydney and Melbourne.

My only complaint, as a video poker player is that the machines I love to play are not available in Australia. However, there are lots o' slots--multi-lines, animated graphics and the arcade sounds.

3) Burswood Entertainment Complex, Great Eastern Highway Burswood, Western Australia 6100 Australia. HC, SF=75,000. Web: www.burswood.au. G=S, B, BJ, C, CSP, P, R. Keno and Pai Gow Poker. Located on the Swan River near Perth with impressive views and a pyramid-shaped hotel.

New Zealand

4) SkyCity Auckland, Corner of Federal Street and Victoria Street, Auckland, North Island 1001 New Zealand. T=+64 9 363-6000. HC, SF=71,000. Web: www.skycity.co.nz. G=S, B, BJ, CSP, P, R. Pai Gow Poker, Bingo and Tai Sai. There are Sky City casinos in Hamilton and Queenston, NZ.

With this travelogue, you can add casinos as a fun stop for your next vacation adventure.