The prospect of living in Zimbabwe is somewhat of a gamble at the moment, so you could imagine that there might be very little desire for patronizing Zimbabwe’s gambling halls. In reality, it seems to be functioning the other way around, with the atrocious economic circumstances creating a larger ambition to wager, to try and discover a fast win, a way from the situation.
For most of the citizens living on the abysmal nearby wages, there are two dominant types of gaming, the national lotto and Zimbet. Just as with almost everywhere else on the planet, there is a state lotto where the chances of succeeding are remarkably low, but then the jackpots are also remarkably big. It’s been said by market analysts who study the subject that the lion’s share do not buy a card with the rational expectation of hitting. Zimbet is based on either the local or the English football leagues and involves predicting the outcomes of future games.
Zimbabwe’s gambling dens, on the other foot, mollycoddle the very rich of the country and tourists. Up till recently, there was a very big sightseeing industry, based on nature trips and visits to Victoria Falls. The market woes and connected violence have carved into this trade.
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 Casino, which has only slot machines. The Zambesi Valley Hotel and Entertainment Center in Kariba also has only slots. Mutare has the Monclair Hotel and Casino and the Leopard Rock Hotel and Casino, the two of which contain gaming tables, one armed bandits and video poker machines, and Victoria Falls has the Elephant Hills Hotel and Casino and the Makasa Sun Hotel and Casino, each of which offer gaming machines and tables.
In addition to Zimbabwe’s casinos and the previously mentioned lottery and Zimbet (which is very like a parimutuel betting system), there are a total of two horse racing complexes in the state: the Matabeleland Turf Club in Bulawayo (the 2nd metropolis) and the Borrowdale Park in Harare.
Seeing as that the economy has shrunk by more than 40% in the past few years and with the connected poverty and conflict that has come about, it is not known how well the vacationing business which funds Zimbabwe’s gambling halls will do in the in the years to come. How many of the casinos will survive until things get better is basically unknown.
