The entire process of living in Zimbabwe is somewhat of a risk at the current time, so you might think that there would be very little affinity for going to Zimbabwe’s gambling dens. Actually, it appears to be functioning the opposite way around, with the atrocious market conditions creating a larger ambition to bet, to attempt to discover a quick win, a way from the difficulty.
For almost all of the citizens living on the abysmal local wages, there are 2 popular styles of wagering, the state lotto and Zimbet. As with practically everywhere else in the world, there is a state lottery where the probabilities of succeeding are surprisingly small, but then the jackpots are also surprisingly high. It’s been said by financial experts who study the subject that many do not buy a ticket with an actual expectation of winning. Zimbet is based on one of the domestic or the English football leagues and involves predicting the results of future matches.
Zimbabwe’s gambling dens, on the other hand, pander to the very rich of the nation and vacationers. Up till recently, there was a very large tourist business, based on nature trips and visits to Victoria Falls. The economic anxiety and connected conflict have carved into this trade.
Amongst Zimbabwe’s casinos, there are 2 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 just the slot machine games. The Zambesi Valley Hotel and Entertainment Center in Kariba also has only one armed bandits. Mutare contains the Monclair Hotel and Casino and the Leopard Rock Hotel and Casino, the two of which contain table games, slots and electronic poker machines, and Victoria Falls has the Elephant Hills Hotel and Casino and the Makasa Sun Hotel and Casino, each of which have slot machines and tables.
In addition to Zimbabwe’s gambling halls and the aforementioned alluded to lottery and Zimbet (which is quite like a pools system), there are also two horse racing complexes in the state: the Matabeleland Turf Club in Bulawayo (the 2nd city) and the Borrowdale Park in Harare.
Given that the economy has shrunk by more than forty percent in the past few years and with the associated poverty and conflict that has come about, it is not known how healthy the tourist business which supports Zimbabwe’s casinos will do in the next few years. How many of the casinos will carry on until conditions improve is merely not known.