Sun International has opened its first casino in Nigeria, inside the recently refurbished Federal Palace Hotel on the upscale Victoria Island, part of the Lagos conurbation.

Sun acquired a 49 percent stake in the 146-room Federal Palace Hotel and the linked, 224-room Federal Towers Hotel in April 2008. Following a $10 million upgrade of its accommodations, the Federal Palace Hotel officially joined the Sun portfolio in December 2008.

A complete renovation of the Federal Towers, which is currently closed, plus work on a spa and conference center that was originally planned to start in January 2009, is expected to commence soon with refurbishment of the Olympic-size swimming pool, according to news source AllAfrica. Total investment was originally put at $150 million.

The casino features 195 slots and electronic terminals plus eight gaming tables. The casino employs a cashless system for electronic game play, whereby a player can load credits onto a smart card either at the cash desk or by feeding banknotes into a machine's bill acceptor. Wins are loaded onto the card at cash-out and then paid at the cash desk. The card can also be used to purchase chips at the gaming tables.

Casino guests pay an entry fee of $20, which includes $15 in slot credits or non-negotiable chips and a $5 deposit for the smart card.

By GGB Staff

Staff writers for Global Gaming Business magazine. Las Vegas, Nevada.