BEST OF JOBURG Carnival City is a jol

It’s always cocktail hour at a casino. And it’s meant to feel that way.

Gaming can make you lose complete sense of time and space and your focus, the blinking lights of one-armed bandits or the dealers and their decks of cards.

Going to a casino is a whole lot of fun, and there’s so much more to getting it on with rands and cents, because yes, you should gamble with your head, not your heart. That is the golden rule, forever.

Carnival City lies on Gauteng’s eastern wing, just off the N17 on Brakpan’s border. It’s quite a distance, but well worth the adventure. The circus-themed complex is inviting, and best of all, the staff are super-friendly. There’s always someone around to answer a question, direct visitors or to make sure that you’re wearing a mask and sanitising. It’s not as big as a Montecasino or an Emperor’s Palace, but what Carnival City lacks in size, it makes up with its bark. And it’s a loud one.

The gaming floor was very well adapted to Covid protocols and besides the gaming machines that are operating on a social distancing basis, the care taken is really evident at the tables. Whether it’s blackjack, roulette or poker, players are cordoned off with highly visible signage explaining process and expected behaviour.

Even in the smoking section, puffers must step 1.5m away from the game to indulge. And the dealers are strict about compliance. Chips are sanitised along with frequent hand-spritzes by dealers, too.

But the hangers-on at gaming tables are annoying. Pretend players crowd actual gamers and start talking and interfering with the game, dispensing advice.

Should, happenstance, a winning hand in blackjack match garbled input from said onlooker, players are harassed to share chips in an “advisory tip” to these irritants, who then proceed to play a hand with their loot. But they don’t go away, pit bosses chat with them and dealers pretend that they are not there. Yet they are, and it taints an otherwise super-pleasant gambling experience.

Being a dealer at a gaming table cannot be the most pleasant job in the world. Rude players who blame losses not on chance, but on dealers are regular occurrences. However, at Carnival City, over a period of several hours, dealers made conversation, chin-wagging about the game, the weather and other benign topics. It disarms the grumpy and enhances the experience tenfold. It even makes up for part of the annoyance caused by the slap-worthy table extras.

Carnival City feels like a giant rondavel, the casino floor in the centre and restaurants and entertainment lining its external ring-walk. The theatre, which has hosted incredible artists like the Simple Minds in pre-pandemic times, remains shut.

Restaurant choice is a bit limited with standard franchise brands like Ocean Basket, Panarottis, Fego Café, RocoMamas and Spur making up the bulk of sit-down choices.

There is an independent Asian restaurant, though. The food court offers standard fare. A highlight is Milky Lane where waffles, ice cream cones and yummy, sweet stuff fits into the carnival theme hand in glove. So, too, does the candy store, with tempting imports.