More and more facilities are being opened for children at The Boardwalk Casino and Entertainment World. They include a fairground, crèche, Tumble Town and video arcade.

"The Boardwalk is much more than a casino. It will be a place where the whole family can have fun," says general manager Graham Vass. "New activities and facilities for the younger generation are being opened all the time."

Forthefunofit caters for children aged 18 months to seven years. The playroom, which includes an outdoor area, is just to the right of the main entrance off Second Avenue. It is designed to cater for 70 children an hour. The cost is R10 an hour. All children are registered electronically and are identified by a tag. Only the parent who dropped off the child is allowed to fetch him or her, says Forthefunofit’s Victor van Wyk.

The company has been running child care facilities at casinos for the last three years. Indoor activities include video games, story time, Lego, colouring books and puzzles. Outside is a playground with jungle gyms and other equipment. Trained minders care for the children in the playroom, which is open from morning to 12 at night.

Parents are called on their cellphones if there are any problems, or the staff – who are trained how to recognise people – will go into the casino to look for them.

"Once the restaurants open, we see parents of young children also making use of Forthefunofit, which is a lot easier than getting a baby-sitter or granny for a couple of hours," says Mr Vass.

The Magic Company is using its party room to care for slightly older children until Tumble Town opens next door. Tumble Town is for children aged five to 12 and will include everything from adventure climbing equipment for the energetic to videos and video games for those wanting to relax, says Peter Bekker, regional operations manager of The Magic Company.

Parents can also hire vibrating beepers from The Magic Company so they can be reached in the casino or elsewhere in the complex. The Magic Company offers a full range of fun for the family, from high-tech video games to gentle carousel rides beside the casino lake. "Soon we will open the Adventure Golf and a go-kart track for the older children, as well as their parents," says Mr Vass.

"The whole area is well lit and is constantly patrolled by security guards to ensure that our guests have a fun experience in a safe environment," he adds.