Graceland Hotel, Casino and Country Club celebrates 25 years in Secunda
South Africa’s first legal casino reaches milestones and celebrates a quarter century of changing lives.
Marking more than two decades as South Africa’s first legal casino, Peermont’s Graceland Hotel Casino and Country Club in Secunda celebrates its 25th birthday this year.
The year 1996 was a fresh opportunity to break Sun International’s monopoly in South Africa’s new dispensation for the gaming industry.
Newly established Peermont Global (then Global Resorts), partnered with Marang Investments in anticipation of the opportunities that would open up, and together started construction on a new resort in Secunda, Mpumalanga.
After a lot of hard work, they secured South Africa’s first legal casino licensed by the Mpumalanga Gaming Board in 1997, and thus Graceland was born.
“The opening day was crazy,” recalls Pieter De Villiers, Graceland’s General Manager, who has been working at Graceland since its doors opened.
“The market was looking for something different and we were the only casino available at the time. And when we gave away a million rand, the queues were outside the door,” said De Villiers.
Since then, Graceland has established itself as a popular entertainment destination where the casino has made millionaires, given away appliances and seen its fair share of car winners drive off the lot.
Graceland has hosted a multitude of sports celebrities, singers, and artists, including Chris de Burgh over the years.
“Another unique feature of Graceland is our inland link golf course which was designed by Gary Player,” says de Villiers.
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The 18-hole championship golf course features the front and back nines along opposite sides of a valley.
The course features a mixture of significant elevation changes, water hazards, rolling fairways and a strategically placed bunker, which has drawn players from across the country.
Despite being a popular entertainment industry, Graceland has always invested in the local community.
“Graceland has always prided itself on giving back sustainably,” says de Villiers of the various projects to empower local businesses, as well as the Southern Highveld Community Development Trust, which has sponsored the education of many youths to excel in various fields.
After 25 years, Graceland has made its mark and will continue for many years. Graceland is a Peermont resort. Visit www.Graceland.co.za, connect with them on social media or view the birthday commemorative.
