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The act of living in Zimbabwe is somewhat of a gamble at the moment, so you could think that there would be very little desire for going to Zimbabwe’s casinos. In reality, it seems to be operating the opposite way, with the critical market conditions creating a larger eagerness to play, to try and discover a fast win, a way out of the crisis.
For most of the citizens surviving on the meager nearby wages, there are 2 dominant styles of wagering, the state lottery and Zimbet. Just as with most everywhere else on the planet, there is a state lottery where the chances of succeeding are extremely low, but then the jackpots are also very high. It’s been said by economists who understand the situation that the lion’s share don’t buy a ticket with a real expectation of winning. Zimbet is built on either the domestic or the British soccer divisions and involves predicting the results of future games.
Zimbabwe’s casinos, on the other hand, cater to the extremely rich of the nation and sightseers. Up until recently, there was a very large tourist industry, built on nature trips and trips to Victoria Falls. The economic woes and associated violence 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 Casino, which has only slots. 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, both of which have table games, slot machines and video machines, and Victoria Falls houses the Elephant Hills Hotel and Casino and the Makasa Sun Hotel and Casino, both of which have gaming machines and tables.
In addition to Zimbabwe’s casinos and the aforementioned alluded to lottery and Zimbet (which is considerably like a parimutuel betting system), there is a total of two horse racing complexes in the country: the Matabeleland Turf Club in Bulawayo (the 2nd municipality) and the Borrowdale Park in Harare.
Seeing as that the market has diminished by more than 40% in the past few years and with the associated poverty and crime that has arisen, it is not well-known how well the tourist industry which is the backbone of Zimbabwe’s gambling halls will do in the in the years to come. How many of the casinos will carry through till conditions improve is basically unknown.
