The prospect of living in Zimbabwe is something of a gamble at the moment, so you could envision that there would be little desire for going to Zimbabwe’s casinos. In reality, it seems to be operating the opposite way around, with the atrocious economic circumstances creating a greater ambition to wager, to try and find a quick win, a way from the situation.
For many of the locals living on the tiny local wages, there are two established types of gambling, the state lotto and Zimbet. Just as with almost everywhere else on the planet, there is a state lotto where the probabilities of hitting are surprisingly tiny, but then the winnings are also extremely big. It’s been said by financial experts who understand the situation that most don’t buy a ticket with an actual expectation of winning. Zimbet is based on one of the national or the UK soccer divisions and involves determining the outcomes of future games.
Zimbabwe’s gambling halls, on the other foot, cater to the very rich of the country and travelers. Up until not long ago, there was a considerably big sightseeing business, founded on nature trips and visits to Victoria Falls. The economic anxiety and associated conflict have carved into this market.
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 den, which has just the slot machines. The Zambesi Valley Hotel and Entertainment Center in Kariba also has only slots. Mutare contains the Monclair Hotel and Casino and the Leopard Rock Hotel and Casino, both of which have table games, slot machines and electronic poker machines, and Victoria Falls houses the Elephant Hills Hotel and Casino and the Makasa Sun Hotel and Casino, each of which has gaming machines and table games.
In addition to Zimbabwe’s gambling halls and the aforestated mentioned lottery and Zimbet (which is quite like a pools system), there are a total of two horse racing tracks in the state: the Matabeleland Turf Club in Bulawayo (the second municipality) and the Borrowdale Park in Harare.
Since the economy has deflated by beyond 40 percent in the past few years and with the connected deprivation and crime that has come to pass, it is not well-known how healthy the tourist industry which is the foundation for Zimbabwe’s casinos will do in the in the years to come. How many of them will still be around until conditions get better is merely unknown.
