The act of living in Zimbabwe is somewhat of a gamble at the current time, so you could imagine that there would be very little desire for supporting Zimbabwe’s gambling halls. Actually, it seems to be functioning the other way, with the atrocious economic conditions creating a higher ambition to wager, to try and discover a fast win, a way out of the situation.
For many of the citizens surviving on the meager local earnings, there are two dominant types of gaming, the state lotto and Zimbet. As with practically everywhere else on the planet, there is a national lotto where the probabilities of succeeding are unbelievably low, but then the winnings are also remarkably large. It’s been said by financial experts who understand the situation that many do not buy a ticket with a real assumption of winning. Zimbet is centered on either the domestic or the United Kingston football leagues and involves determining the results of future games.
Zimbabwe’s casinos, on the other foot, cater to the very rich of the society and tourists. Up until a short time ago, there was a exceptionally large tourist industry, built on nature trips and trips to Victoria Falls. The economic collapse and associated crime have cut into this market.
Amongst Zimbabwe’s casinos, 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 just the slots. 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, the two of which offer gaming tables, slots and video poker machines, and Victoria Falls houses the Elephant Hills Hotel and Casino and the Makasa Sun Hotel and Casino, both of which have video poker machines and table games.
In addition to Zimbabwe’s gambling dens and the aforestated alluded to lottery and Zimbet (which is quite like a pools system), there are also 2 horse racing complexes in the nation: the Matabeleland Turf Club in Bulawayo (the 2nd city) and the Borrowdale Park in Harare.
Seeing as that the economy has shrunk by beyond 40% in the past few years and with the associated deprivation and bloodshed that has come about, it isn’t known how healthy the vacationing industry which is the backbone of Zimbabwe’s casinos will do in the next few years. How many of them will carry on until conditions improve is merely not known.