The entire process of living in Zimbabwe is somewhat of a gamble at the moment, so you could imagine that there would be very little affinity for supporting Zimbabwe’s gambling dens. In fact, it appears to be operating the other way around, with the awful market conditions creating a larger desire to play, to attempt to find a fast win, a way out of the difficulty.
For many of the locals living on the tiny local wages, there are 2 common forms of betting, the national lottery and Zimbet. As with most everywhere else on the planet, there is a national lottery where the odds of succeeding are remarkably low, but then the jackpots are also very large. It’s been said by economists who study the situation that many don’t buy a ticket with the rational belief of hitting. Zimbet is based on one of the domestic or the UK soccer divisions and involves determining the results of future matches.
Zimbabwe’s casinos, on the other foot, look after the considerably rich of the country and tourists. Up till recently, there was a very large tourist business, centered on nature trips and visits to Victoria Falls. The economic woes and associated conflict have cut into this market.
Amongst Zimbabwe’s casinos, there are two in the capital, Harare, the Carribea Bay Resort and Casino, which has five gaming tables and slots, and the Plumtree gambling den, which has only slots. The Zambesi Valley Hotel and Entertainment Center in Kariba also has just slot machines. Mutare contains the Monclair Hotel and Casino and the Leopard Rock Hotel and Casino, both of which contain table games, slot machines and video machines, and Victoria Falls houses the Elephant Hills Hotel and Casino and the Makasa Sun Hotel and Casino, the pair of which has video poker machines and table games.
In addition to Zimbabwe’s casinos and the aforestated talked about lottery and Zimbet (which is quite like a parimutuel betting system), there is 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.
Given that the economy has diminished by beyond forty percent in the past few years and with the connected deprivation and bloodshed that has come about, it is not understood how well the sightseeing industry which is the foundation for Zimbabwe’s casinos will do in the in the years to come. How many of the casinos will carry on until things improve is merely unknown.
