The prospect of living in Zimbabwe is somewhat of a gamble at the moment, so you could think that there would be very little affinity for supporting Zimbabwe’s gambling halls. In fact, it appears to be working the opposite way, with the atrocious economic circumstances leading to a greater desire to play, to try and discover a fast win, a way out of the situation.
For many of the people surviving on the tiny local money, there are 2 dominant styles of gambling, the state lotto and Zimbet. As with most everywhere else on the globe, there is a national lotto where the chances of profiting are unbelievably low, but then the prizes are also remarkably large. It’s been said by economists who study the idea that most do not purchase a card with the rational expectation of winning. Zimbet is built on one of the national or the British soccer divisions and involves predicting the outcomes of future matches.
Zimbabwe’s gambling dens, on the other hand, cater to the considerably rich of the society and travelers. Up till a short time ago, there was a very big vacationing industry, based on safaris and visits to Victoria Falls. The economic woes and connected violence have carved into this market.
Amongst Zimbabwe’s gambling halls, there are 2 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 just the slots. The Zambesi Valley Hotel and Entertainment Center in Kariba also has just slots. Mutare has the Monclair Hotel and Casino and the Leopard Rock Hotel and Casino, both of which contain gaming tables, slot machines 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 tables.
In addition to Zimbabwe’s gambling halls and the aforementioned mentioned lottery and Zimbet (which is quite like a pools system), there are a total of 2 horse racing tracks in the state: the Matabeleland Turf Club in Bulawayo (the 2nd city) and the Borrowdale Park in Harare.
Since the market has shrunk by beyond 40% in the past few years and with the associated poverty and conflict that has resulted, it isn’t understood how well the tourist industry which supports Zimbabwe’s gambling dens will do in the near future. How many of them will carry through till conditions get better is merely unknown.