Sun City going from zero to hero

Hospitality giant Sun International said it is starting to see a return on its investment in Sun City, as the iconic resort benefited from an uplift in gaming and hospitality revenues.

This was revealed in the company’s results for the year through December 2025, released on Monday, 16 March.

In these results for its 2025 financial year, Sun International reported net gaming wins growth of 7.5% to R10.30 billion and revenue growth of 10.39% to R2.67 billion.

However, the company’s profit for the year declined by 15.70% compared to its 2024 financial year, reaching R1.78 billion.

In addition, its basic earnings per share declined by 12.90% to 667 cents per share.

Sun International explained that 2025 was a “transition” year for the group. In particular, the second half of the year saw the company assess its potential and operational capabilities and agree on a five-year value creation plan.

This plan is aimed at helping Sun International realise its ambition to become a digitally-led, market-leading, omnichannel gaming company of scale.

This ambition comes as its online gambling platform, Sunbet, remained a standout performer in the company’s results, with net gaming wins of R2.05 billion and adjusted EBITDA of R612 million, more than double its 2024 earnings.

However, the company noted that its land-based casinos also performed well over the period, saying they were significantly ahead of the market as a result of optimisation initiatives implemented on Tables and Slots.

Sun International’s gross gaming revenue (GGR) on a comparable basis declined by 2.6%, but outperformed the rest of the market, which fell by 6.3%. 

“In particular, we saw a positive performance in the last quarter of the year where we grew GGR by 4.0%, our highest growth rate since Q2 2023 against a continued market decline,” it said.

Sun International highlighted the performance of Sun City, in particular, saying the iconic resort had a very good second half of the year, benefiting from a “material uplift in gaming and hospitality revenues”.

Sun City recorded net gaming wins of R514 million, up 9.5% compared to 2024. Its adjusted EBITDA remained largely flat at R387 million.

On the back of these results, Sun International declared a final dividend of 252 cents per share, as well as a special dividend of 100 cents per share.