The act of living in Zimbabwe is somewhat of a gamble at the moment, so you could envision that there would be very little appetite for supporting Zimbabwe’s gambling dens. Actually, it seems to be working the opposite way around, with the desperate market circumstances creating a bigger eagerness to wager, to try and find a quick win, a way out of the situation.
For many of the people surviving on the meager local money, there are 2 established types of gambling, the national lotto and Zimbet. As with most everywhere else on the globe, there is a state lotto where the probabilities of succeeding are remarkably small, but then the winnings are also unbelievably big. It’s been said by market analysts who study the idea that the majority do not purchase a card with an actual expectation of winning. Zimbet is based on one of the national or the British soccer divisions and involves determining the results of future games.
Zimbabwe’s casinos, on the other foot, cater to the incredibly rich of the nation and tourists. Up till a short while ago, there was a very big sightseeing industry, founded on nature trips and visits to Victoria Falls. The economic woes and associated bloodshed have cut into this market.
Among Zimbabwe’s gambling halls, there are 2 in the capital, Harare, the Carribea Bay Resort and Casino, which has 5 gaming tables and slot machines, and the Plumtree Casino, which has only slots. The Zambesi Valley Hotel and Entertainment Center in Kariba also has just slots. Mutare has the Monclair Hotel and Casino and the Leopard Rock Hotel and Casino, both of which contain gaming tables, slots and video machines, and Victoria Falls has the Elephant Hills Hotel and Casino and the Makasa Sun Hotel and Casino, each of which offer slot machines and table games.
In addition to Zimbabwe’s gambling dens and the above mentioned lottery and Zimbet (which is considerably like a pools system), there are also 2 horse racing complexes in the country: the Matabeleland Turf Club in Bulawayo (the 2nd city) and the Borrowdale Park in Harare.
Seeing as that the market has contracted by more than forty percent in the past few years and with the connected deprivation and bloodshed that has cropped up, it is not known how healthy the sightseeing business which is the foundation for Zimbabwe’s casinos will do in the near future. How many of the casinos will carry on until things get better is basically not known.