The prospect of living in Zimbabwe is something of a risk at the moment, so you might envision that there might be little desire for going to Zimbabwe’s gambling dens. In reality, it seems to be operating the opposite way, with the desperate market conditions creating a bigger desire to gamble, to attempt to discover a quick win, a way from the crisis.
For most of the locals living on the abysmal nearby wages, there are two popular types of gaming, the national lotto and Zimbet. Just as with most everywhere else on the planet, there is a state lottery where the odds of hitting are extremely small, but then the jackpots are also extremely high. It’s been said by economists who look at the idea that the majority don’t buy a ticket with a real belief of winning. Zimbet is centered on either the national or the English soccer divisions and involves determining the results of future matches.
Zimbabwe’s gambling dens, on the other shoe, look after the extremely rich of the nation and travelers. Up until recently, there was a very large sightseeing industry, centered on safaris and trips to Victoria Falls. The market anxiety 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 hall, which has only slots. The Zambesi Valley Hotel and Entertainment Center in Kariba also has only one armed bandits. Mutare has 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 has the Elephant Hills Hotel and Casino and the Makasa Sun Hotel and Casino, both of which offer gaming machines and blackjack, roulette, and craps tables.
In addition to Zimbabwe’s gambling dens and the above mentioned lottery and Zimbet (which is considerably like a pools system), there are a total of 2 horse racing tracks in the country: the Matabeleland Turf Club in Bulawayo (the 2nd city) and the Borrowdale Park in Harare.
Since the economy has diminished by beyond 40% in the past few years and with the associated poverty and bloodshed that has cropped up, it is not well-known how healthy the tourist business which supports Zimbabwe’s gambling dens will do in the near future. How many of them will carry through till things get better is simply not known.
