The prospect of living in Zimbabwe is somewhat of a risk at the current time, so you could imagine that there might be little affinity for patronizing Zimbabwe’s gambling halls. Actually, it appears to be working the other way around, with the desperate economic circumstances leading to a larger ambition to bet, to try and find a fast win, a way from the crisis.
For many of the people surviving on the meager local money, there are 2 established types of betting, the national lottery and Zimbet. Just as with almost everywhere else on the globe, there is a state lottery where the chances of profiting are surprisingly small, but then the prizes are also unbelievably high. It’s been said by economists who study the concept that most don’t buy a card with an actual belief of hitting. Zimbet is founded on either the national or the English football leagues and involves determining the outcomes of future matches.
Zimbabwe’s casinos, on the other hand, cater to the astonishingly rich of the state and vacationers. Until not long ago, there was a extremely substantial tourist industry, built on safaris and trips to Victoria Falls. The economic anxiety and associated bloodshed have cut into this trade.
Amongst Zimbabwe’s casinos, there are two in the capital, Harare, the Carribea Bay Resort and Casino, which has five gaming tables and slot machines, and the Plumtree gambling hall, which has only slot machines. The Zambesi Valley Hotel and Entertainment Center in Kariba also has only slot machines. Mutare contains the Monclair Hotel and Casino and the Leopard Rock Hotel and Casino, the two of which have table games, one armed bandits and video poker machines, and Victoria Falls has the Elephant Hills Hotel and Casino and the Makasa Sun Hotel and Casino, each of which offer video poker machines and table games.
In addition to Zimbabwe’s gambling dens and the above talked about lottery and Zimbet (which is very like a pools system), there are also 2 horse racing complexes in the country: the Matabeleland Turf Club in Bulawayo (the 2nd municipality) and the Borrowdale Park in Harare.
Given that the economy has shrunk by more than 40% in recent years and with the associated deprivation and violence that has cropped up, it isn’t understood how healthy the sightseeing industry which is the foundation for Zimbabwe’s gambling halls will do in the in the years to come. How many of the casinos will carry through until things get better is simply not known.