The Palace of the Lost City at Sun City
A fantasy palace in the bushveld, with South Africa’s original casino resort next door
One of the most spectacular resort hotels in the world, with two championship golf courses and a Big Five game reserve on the doorstep. The Sun City casino is solid and well regulated but modest by international standards.
The Palace of the Lost City is pure theater. Opened in 1992 inside the wider Sun City resort, it imagines the palace of a vanished African civilization, complete with domed towers, carved animal sculptures, painted ceilings and a man-made jungle that has matured into something remarkably convincing. It sits in the crater of an ancient volcano beside the Pilanesberg National Park, about two hours’ drive northwest of Johannesburg.
We review the Palace as the hotel, and Sun City’s casino as its casino. The casino is not inside the Palace itself; it sits in the resort’s main entertainment area, a short walk or shuttle ride away. It is operated by Sun International and licensed under North West Province gambling law, with a minimum gambling age of 18. Sun City has an important and complicated history, having been built in the apartheid-era Bophuthatswana homeland, and we acknowledge that context.
01Rooms & suites
The Palace has 326 rooms and suites, and even the entry categories feel grand: handcrafted furniture, rich fabrics, large bathrooms with separate tubs and showers, and views over water, jungle or the Pilanesberg hills. Suites add dining tables, guest bathrooms and more of the elaborate décor that defines the hotel.
If the Palace is outside your budget, Sun City’s other hotels, including the Cascades, the original Sun City Hotel and the family-friendly Cabanas, offer access to the same resort facilities at lower price points. Rates for the Palace are highest during South African school holidays and major events.
02Dining & bars
Dining inside the Palace includes a formal grill room, an elegant buffet restaurant with views over the grounds and a handsome bar and lounge. The wider resort adds casual restaurants, family options and fast food around the entertainment center and casino.
Service in the Palace restaurants is polished. Bookings are strongly recommended, and they are essential in peak season.
03Pools, spa, golf & safari
Leisure is where the Palace excels. The main pool is one of the most beautiful hotel pools anywhere, and Palace guests can walk down through the gardens to the Valley of Waves, Sun City’s water park with its wave pool, slides and lazy river. The Palace spa is set within the hotel grounds.
Golfers have two Gary Player–designed courses: the Gary Player Golf Course, long associated with a major professional tournament held each year, and the Lost City Golf Course, known for its crocodile-pool hole. Game drives into the Pilanesberg National Park, home to the Big Five, can be arranged from the resort, making this one of very few casino resorts where a safari is a morning activity.
04Entertainment
Sun City’s Superbowl arena hosts concerts, pageants and sporting events, and the resort has long been a venue for major national events. The entertainment center has family attractions, games and shops, and there are bars and live-music spots around the casino.
The overall experience is theatrical and fun, though some of the older parts of Sun City feel dated compared with the Palace itself.
05Getting there
Most visitors drive from Johannesburg or Pretoria; allow around two to two-and-a-half hours from Johannesburg. OR Tambo International Airport is about 200 km away, and the small Pilanesberg airport about 8 km from the resort has had limited scheduled service over the years. Shuttle transfers from Johannesburg are available.
The nearest city is Rustenburg, about 45 km away. If you plan to self-drive, follow standard South African road-safety advice and avoid driving unfamiliar rural roads at night.
South Africa’s first casino resort, with a 24-hour private salon
Sun City’s casino opened in 1979 and is described by its operator as South Africa’s first land-based casino. It combines a main floor of slots and tables with smoking and non-smoking sections and the Salon Privé, a higher-limit area for members of Sun International’s Sun MVG loyalty program.
The casino is well run and pleasant, but players accustomed to the vast floors of Atlantic City or Connecticut will find it compact. There is no live poker room of note, no sportsbook inside the casino in the American sense and no bingo hall, which explains its lower specialty score.
The gaming floor
The main floor opens at 10:00 daily, while the Salon Privé operates 24 hours. The casino mixes modern slot banks with a central area of table games and offers clearly signed smoking and non-smoking sections.
Table games
Table games include blackjack, baccarat (punto banco) and American roulette. The operator publishes indicative limits in rand, from modest minimums on the main floor to substantially higher maximums in the Salon Privé. Note that the roulette offered is the American double-zero version, which carries a higher house edge than single-zero roulette; our roulette guide explains the difference.
Poker
We could not confirm a dedicated live poker room with regular dealt cash games at Sun City. Poker-style table games and electronic poker may be available on the floor; check locally.
Slots
Slots range from very low denominations on the main floor to high-denomination machines in the Salon Privé, with multi-line games, progressive jackpots and smart-card play tied to the loyalty program.
Sports betting
South Africa licenses sports betting separately from casinos, largely through licensed bookmakers and totalizators. Sun City’s casino does not operate an American-style sportsbook. We do not cover online betting.
Salon Privé & rewards
The Salon Privé is open to Sun MVG cardholders and offers higher denominations, higher table limits and more private surroundings. Sun MVG is Sun International’s loyalty program across its South African properties.
Bingo & keno
Sun City does not run a bingo hall or a keno lounge. In South Africa, bingo is licensed separately and operates in dedicated venues.
Rules & entry
| Minimum age | 18. |
|---|---|
| ID | South African ID or passport; carry original documents. |
| Regulator | North West Gambling Board, under the North West Gambling Act, within South Africa’s national framework overseen by the National Gambling Board. |
| Operator | Sun International. |
| Smoking | Designated smoking and non-smoking sections. |
| Exclusion | Self-exclusion through casino security; forms are passed to provincial and national regulators. Exclusion typically lasts at least six months to a year. |
South Africa’s National Responsible Gambling Programme offers free counseling alongside self-exclusion, and uplifting an exclusion generally requires evidence of counseling.
Need to talk? National Responsible Gambling Programme (South Africa): 0800 006 008
What works
- An unforgettable hotel in a dramatic setting
- Two championship golf courses and a Big Five reserve nearby
- Clear smoking and non-smoking sections
What doesn’t
- Compact casino by international standards
- No confirmed live poker room
- Casino is separate from the Palace building
Caveats
- Table limits and opening hours come from the operator and change.
- Regulator name reflects recent court and operator documents; confirm with the resort.
Gambling is entertainment, never income.
Every casino game has a built-in house edge. Set a budget and a time limit before you play, never chase losses, and stop if it stops being fun. Minimum ages depend on the jurisdiction.
- National Problem Gambling Helpline (US)1-800-GAMBLER
- National Council on Problem Gambling (US)ncpgambling.org
- Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling1-888-789-7777
- New York HOPEline1-877-8-HOPENY (1-877-846-7369)
- South Africa National Responsible Gambling Programme0800 006 008