The act of living in Zimbabwe is something of a gamble at the current time, so you could think that there might be very little affinity for patronizing Zimbabwe’s gambling halls. Actually, it appears to be operating the opposite way, with the atrocious market conditions creating a bigger ambition to play, to try and locate a fast win, a way from the crisis.
For many of the people living on the tiny nearby wages, there are 2 popular forms of wagering, the state lotto and Zimbet. Just as with most everywhere else in the world, there is a national lotto where the probabilities of winning are unbelievably low, but then the winnings are also remarkably large. It’s been said by economists who understand the situation that the majority don’t buy a card with a real expectation of hitting. Zimbet is built on one of the national or the United Kingston soccer leagues and involves predicting the results of future matches.
Zimbabwe’s casinos, on the other hand, cater to the very rich of the country and sightseers. Up until not long ago, there was a incredibly large tourist business, centered on nature trips and visits to Victoria Falls. The market anxiety and connected crime have cut into this trade.
Among Zimbabwe’s casinos, there are two in the capital, Harare, the Carribea Bay Resort and Casino, which has five gaming tables and one armed bandits, and the Plumtree gambling hall, which has only 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, both of which have 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, both of which offer gaming machines and table games.
In addition to Zimbabwe’s gambling halls and the above talked about lottery and Zimbet (which is quite like a pools system), there are a total of 2 horse racing tracks in the state: the Matabeleland Turf Club in Bulawayo (the 2nd metropolis) and the Borrowdale Park in Harare.
Since the economy has shrunk by more than 40 percent in the past few years and with the connected deprivation and crime that has resulted, it is not well-known how healthy the vacationing industry which funds Zimbabwe’s gambling halls will do in the next few years. How many of them will carry on until things improve is simply not known.