The act of living in Zimbabwe is something of a risk at the moment, so you could think that there might be very little affinity for supporting Zimbabwe’s gambling dens. Actually, it seems to be working the opposite way around, with the atrocious economic circumstances leading to a greater eagerness to bet, to attempt to discover a fast win, a way from the crisis.
For almost all of the locals surviving on the abysmal local money, there are two popular styles of gambling, the national lotto and Zimbet. Just as with almost everywhere else in the world, there is a national lotto where the probabilities of succeeding are extremely low, but then the prizes are also unbelievably big. It’s been said by economists who understand the subject that most do not purchase a card with an actual expectation of profiting. Zimbet is based on one of the domestic or the United Kingston soccer divisions and involves predicting the outcomes of future matches.
Zimbabwe’s casinos, on the other shoe, cater to the astonishingly rich of the nation and vacationers. Up until a short time ago, there was a exceptionally big tourist industry, founded on safaris and trips to Victoria Falls. The economic anxiety and associated conflict have carved into this trade.
Amongst Zimbabwe’s gambling dens, there are two in the capital, Harare, the Carribea Bay Resort and Casino, which has 5 gaming tables and slot machines, and the Plumtree gambling den, which has only slot machine games. The Zambesi Valley Hotel and Entertainment Center in Kariba also has just slots. Mutare contains the Monclair Hotel and Casino and the Leopard Rock Hotel and Casino, both of which have table games, slots and electronic poker machines, and Victoria Falls houses the Elephant Hills Hotel and Casino and the Makasa Sun Hotel and Casino, the pair of which has slot machines and blackjack, roulette, and craps tables.
In addition to Zimbabwe’s gambling halls and the previously mentioned lottery and Zimbet (which is quite like a pools system), there is a total of 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 deflated by beyond 40 percent in the past few years and with the connected deprivation and violence that has come about, it is not understood how well the vacationing industry which is the foundation for Zimbabwe’s casinos will do in the near future. How many of the casinos will survive until things get better is merely unknown.