Through the ages, mining has been the gambler's happy hunting ground. More so in South Africa than in any other part of the world. One has only to recall the discovery of diamonds, the Witwatersrand gold fields, Barney Barnato, Hans Merenski and the platinum riches of the Bushveld Igneous Complex and the Phalaborwa carbonitite to recognize that we have had more than our fair share of plums in the pudding and the magnate millionaires to pull them out. This gambling addiction continues. We are a global gambling paradise, and our casinos and state lottery are, I understand, the most lucrative in the world. Less palatable are our road accident statistics and the ups and downs of the metal prices and the JSE share oscillations.
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