The entire process of living in Zimbabwe is something of a gamble at the current time, so you might envision that there would be very little appetite for going to Zimbabwe’s gambling halls. In reality, it appears to be functioning the other way, with the awful market conditions creating a bigger desire to gamble, to try and discover a fast win, a way out of the situation.
For many of the citizens surviving on the abysmal local money, there are two popular types of wagering, the state lottery and Zimbet. As with most everywhere else on the planet, there is a state lotto where the probabilities of hitting are surprisingly tiny, but then the prizes are also extremely big. It’s been said by market analysts who study the idea that many don’t purchase a card with an actual expectation of winning. Zimbet is founded on one of the domestic or the United Kingston football divisions and involves determining the results of future matches.
Zimbabwe’s casinos, on the other shoe, pander to the incredibly rich of the country and tourists. Up until not long ago, there was a extremely substantial tourist industry, founded on nature trips and visits to Victoria Falls. The economic woes and associated crime have cut into this market.
Among Zimbabwe’s gambling dens, there are 2 in the capital, Harare, the Carribea Bay Resort and Casino, which has 5 gaming tables and slots, and the Plumtree gambling den, which has only slots. The Zambesi Valley Hotel and Entertainment Center in Kariba also has just one armed bandits. Mutare has the Monclair Hotel and Casino and the Leopard Rock Hotel and Casino, both of which contain table games, slot machines 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 slot machines and table games.
In addition to Zimbabwe’s gambling halls and the above talked about lottery and Zimbet (which is considerably like a parimutuel betting system), there are also 2 horse racing tracks in the state: the Matabeleland Turf Club in Bulawayo (the second municipality) and the Borrowdale Park in Harare.
Given that the economy has shrunk by beyond 40% in recent years and with the associated poverty and conflict that has resulted, it isn’t known how healthy the vacationing business which is the foundation for Zimbabwe’s gambling dens will do in the near future. How many of them will survive till conditions get better is basically unknown.
