The act of living in Zimbabwe is something of a risk at the moment, so you may think that there would be very little appetite for supporting Zimbabwe’s casinos. Actually, it seems to be operating the opposite way, with the atrocious market circumstances creating a greater ambition to gamble, to try and locate a quick win, a way out of the situation.
For most of the citizens surviving on the meager local money, there are two established forms of gambling, the state lotto and Zimbet. Just as with most everywhere else in the world, there is a national lottery where the odds of hitting are surprisingly tiny, but then the prizes are also unbelievably large. It’s been said by economists who understand the subject that many don’t buy a card with an actual assumption of hitting. Zimbet is centered on one of the national or the British soccer divisions and involves predicting the results of future matches.
Zimbabwe’s gambling dens, on the other foot, look after the very rich of the country and tourists. Up till recently, there was a considerably substantial sightseeing business, founded on nature trips and trips to Victoria Falls. The market woes and associated crime have carved into this trade.
Amongst Zimbabwe’s casinos, 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 just the slots. The Zambesi Valley Hotel and Entertainment Center in Kariba also has just slot machines. Mutare has 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, the pair of which has slot machines and blackjack, roulette, and craps tables.
In addition to Zimbabwe’s casinos and the aforestated mentioned lottery and Zimbet (which is very like a pools system), there is a total of 2 horse racing complexes in the country: the Matabeleland Turf Club in Bulawayo (the 2nd municipality) and the Borrowdale Park in Harare.
Since the market has shrunk by more than 40 percent in the past few years and with the connected deprivation and violence that has come to pass, it isn’t well-known how healthy the vacationing business which supports Zimbabwe’s gambling halls will do in the next few years. How many of the casinos will be alive until things get better is basically unknown.
