The act of living in Zimbabwe is somewhat of a risk at the moment, so you might imagine that there would be little desire for patronizing Zimbabwe’s gambling dens. In reality, it seems to be operating the other way, with the atrocious economic conditions leading to a higher ambition to bet, to attempt to locate a quick win, a way out of the situation.
For almost all of the citizens surviving on the meager local wages, there are 2 popular forms of gaming, the state lottery and Zimbet. Just as with almost everywhere else in the world, there is a state lottery where the probabilities of succeeding are extremely low, but then the jackpots are also unbelievably large. It’s been said by economists who understand the concept that many don’t purchase a card with the rational belief of winning. Zimbet is built on one of the domestic or the British soccer leagues and involves determining the results of future matches.
Zimbabwe’s gambling halls, on the other foot, cater to the extremely rich of the country and tourists. Up till a short time ago, there was a very big vacationing industry, founded on safaris and trips to Victoria Falls. The market collapse and connected bloodshed have cut into this trade.
Amongst Zimbabwe’s gambling halls, 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 machines. The Zambesi Valley Hotel and Entertainment Center in Kariba also has just one armed bandits. Mutare has the Monclair Hotel and Casino and the Leopard Rock Hotel and Casino, the two of which offer table games, one armed bandits 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 offer slot machines and tables.
In addition to Zimbabwe’s casinos and the above mentioned lottery and Zimbet (which is considerably like a pools system), there is a total of 2 horse racing complexes in the nation: the Matabeleland Turf Club in Bulawayo (the second municipality) and the Borrowdale Park in Harare.
Since the economy has diminished by more than 40% in the past few years and with the associated poverty and violence that has come about, it isn’t known how well the tourist business which supports Zimbabwe’s gambling halls will do in the next few years. How many of them will carry on till conditions get better is simply not known.