The prospect of living in Zimbabwe is something of a gamble at the current time, so you might think that there would be very little affinity for going to Zimbabwe’s casinos. Actually, it appears to be operating the other way, with the desperate economic circumstances leading to a greater ambition to play, to attempt to locate a fast win, a way out of the crisis.
For most of the people living on the abysmal local wages, there are two popular types of gaming, the state lottery and Zimbet. As with most everywhere else in the world, there is a state lotto where the probabilities of hitting are surprisingly tiny, but then the winnings are also unbelievably big. It’s been said by market analysts who look at the subject that the lion’s share do not buy a ticket with the rational expectation of hitting. Zimbet is built on either the national or the British football divisions and involves predicting the outcomes of future matches.
Zimbabwe’s gambling halls, on the other hand, pander to the extremely rich of the country and tourists. Up until a short time ago, there was a extremely substantial vacationing industry, built on nature trips and trips to Victoria Falls. The economic anxiety and associated violence have carved into this trade.
Among Zimbabwe’s casinos, there are two in the capital, Harare, the Carribea Bay Resort and Casino, which has 5 gaming tables and slots, and the Plumtree Casino, which has only slots. The Zambesi Valley Hotel and Entertainment Center in Kariba also has just one armed bandits. Mutare contains the Monclair Hotel and Casino and the Leopard Rock Hotel and Casino, both of which offer gaming tables, one armed bandits 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 slot machines and tables.
In addition to Zimbabwe’s casinos and the aforementioned mentioned lottery and Zimbet (which is considerably like a parimutuel betting system), there are also two horse racing tracks in the country: the Matabeleland Turf Club in Bulawayo (the second city) and the Borrowdale Park in Harare.
Given that the market has shrunk by more than 40 percent in recent years and with the associated poverty and crime that has arisen, it isn’t understood how healthy the vacationing business which supports Zimbabwe’s casinos will do in the next few years. How many of them will survive until conditions improve is merely unknown.
