Ghana’s casino list is quite short – not a surprise for a poor African country. Actually, by African standards, Ghana is not that poor. It was the first African country to get rid of colonialism in 1957, led by Kwame Nkrumah. The next 30 years or so were the usual struggle against the economic incompetence of the various rulers, including the almost traditional military coup. Things finally settled in the 1990s, and the economy is now growing again, giving residents roughly double the per capita income that is common in Africa.
Still, that level of income is not compatible with a thriving gambling industry, which is why, as we say, the list of Ghanaian casinos is still quite short.
In fact, there are four across the country.
Ghana Casinos List:
Acra: Golden Tulip Hotel & Royal Casino
La Palm: Atlantic Casino and Royal Beach Hotel
Kumasi: City Hotel and Ashanti Casino
Theme: Merdian Hotel & Club Vegas
All of these casinos have slot machines and game tables. For the last two, the provincial ones, blackjack and roulette, while those in the capital, Accra, also have poker tables.
While there are gold and timber mining industries as industries in Ghana, most of the population and most of the economy is based on subsistence (or peasant) agriculture. This is one of the reasons why the list of Ghana casinos is so short. Another is that while there is a tourist industry, it is aimed at African Americans who come to see their roots, slave forts, etc., along the coast. In reality, this is not a market known for high gambling.
In fact, for much of the area’s history, there have actually only been two exports: slaves (the Ashanti Kingdom was a primary source for Arab slavers long before whites came to the area) and gold – indeed , the country still boasts one of the world’s largest gold mines and companies, again named after the ancient kingdom, Ashanti.
Gambling and casinos have traditionally worked very well in mining areas, but this is changing as business becomes more capital intensive – there are no longer armies of well-paid miners rampaging on a hillside. Now there are very few people and a lot of very expensive machines. Machines, as you may have noticed, do not play.
So there are reasons why the Ghana casino list is so short. A poor, agriculture-based country, the tourism industry is not geared towards a gambling market, and there are very few local workers earning enough to gamble.