The Boardwalk casino paid out an average of over R10 000 an hour in jackpots between the opening in October 2000 and March 2001.

“In our first 152 days we paid out R38-million in jackpots of R500 and more,” says The Boardwalk general manager Graham Vass.

This is an average pay out of 93,7 per cent of all the money fed into The Boardwalk’s 700 gaming machines. In addition to this, Most Valued Guest (MVG) members accrue points according to their level of play.

There have also been a number of big wins on the tables, he adds.

“We’re happy to say that the really big winners have all been from the Eastern Cape. The four jackpot millionaires have all come from our province,” says Mr Vass.

“However, The Boardwalk Casino and Entertainment World’s contribution to the local economy goes further than that,” he adds.

Over the next ten years the development will add over R2,9-billion in salaries and wages into the Port Elizabeth metropole.

The Eastern Cape government will receive R270-million in gambling taxes over the next decade, while R1,2-billion will go to national government through corporate and personal tax and VAT.

The Port Elizabeth city council will receive R39-million in rates and service fees over the next ten years, says Mr Vass.

“In terms of our social responsibility, Emfuleni will allocate 1,5 per cent a year of its profit after tax to carefully evaluated social responsibility programmes. This will be in the form of tangible benefits such as the building of a sports field or clinics.”

These profits will come from both the retail and gambling operations at The r of ways leading up to the first birthday of The Boardwalk Casino and Entertainment World on October 3.

“We’ll be giving away another four Opel Corsas, as well as hundreds of thousands of rands in prizes to patrons.”

One of the innovations will may be the introduction ten cent machines on the floor.

“It is only the combination of smart cards and our modern gaming machines that enable us to go this low,” says Mr Hilliar.

“The ten cent minimum will give punters more time at the machines and add to the fun,” he says.

More fun is on its way in the form of new games.

The Boardwalk has already introduced “Jokers Wild” poker machines at the request of punters who got to know the games at the Fish River Sun.