The stage was set for an action-packed afternoon of thrilling entertainment at the newly refurbished Silverstar Casino when the inaugural Tsogo Sun Gauteng Roulette Knockout came to an exciting conclusion last month.

Competitive roulette action played out between Tsogo Sun’s three Gauteng properties – Montecasino, Silverstar and Gold Reef City – over five weeks, with a substantial prize pool of R850 000 providing great incentive for roulette-lovers to buy in for just R100. “The tournament was a great success, with roulette enthusiasts boosting the initial prize money by R350 000 to reach R850 000,” says Steve Hight, Director of Gaming for Tsogo Sun. One hundred percent of all buy-ins contributed towards the eventual prize pool, indicating the overwhelming response of Gauteng residents to the tournament.

The top 10 players from each property were selected for the final based on their positioning on the leader board, and were hosted at Silverstar, which provided the quintessential venue for the finals. Of the R850 000 prize pool, R350 000 was won by Humeshen, representing Gold Reef City; R125 000 was awarded to Rubethiran Moodley from Edenvale, representing Montecasino; and R90 000 was won by Gideon De Koker from Alberton, representing Gold Reef City Casino. By virtue of his placements on the leader board Gideon had won two seats at the final and was already a big winner, collecting a total of R160 000 throughout the tournament. The balance of the R850 000 prize money was awarded to the remainder of the top 10 placed finalists.

A first-year IT student, Hamusha Naidu says, “This win comes as a huge surprise. I entered the tournament once, during a night out with friends and only spent R100 to buy in. I feel exceptionally lucky and I’m going to use the money to pay for my studies.”

Comments Hight, “This tournament allowed us to generate a larger prize pool than would ordinarily be possible by extending it across three of our major casinos. It’s a high-stakes roulette challenge that undoubtedly brought an added element of excitement to gaming at Tsogo Sun,” says Hight, adding that, as with all Tsogo Sun’s gaming tournaments, the Gauteng Roulette Knockout is aimed at providing great entertainment and memorable experiences for its guests.

Roulette Knockout is the second Roulette tournament to be played across multiple Tsogo Sun properties this year, the first being the nationwide Roulette Masters tournament, in which close to R2.5 million was given away, R1.9 million of which went to the first prize winner. “We look forward to bringing thrill-seekers across the country more Roulette Masters action when the tournament returns in January 2015,” says Hight.

Tsogo Sun is the leading hotels, gaming and entertainment company in South Africa, with 14 casino and entertainment destinations and over 90 hotels in South Africa, Africa, and the Seychelles.

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