The act of living in Zimbabwe is somewhat of a risk at the moment, so you could imagine that there might be little affinity for going to Zimbabwe’s gambling halls. In reality, it seems to be operating the other way, with the awful economic circumstances leading to a greater eagerness to play, to try and find a fast win, a way out of the problems.
For almost all of the locals living on the abysmal nearby earnings, there are 2 common forms of betting, the state lotto and Zimbet. Just as with practically everywhere else on the globe, there is a national lotto where the chances of profiting are unbelievably tiny, but then the winnings are also extremely high. It’s been said by market analysts who study the subject that the majority don’t purchase a card with the rational expectation of profiting. Zimbet is built on one of the national or the United Kingston football leagues and involves predicting the outcomes of future games.
Zimbabwe’s gambling halls, on the other shoe, pander to the incredibly rich of the nation and tourists. Up until a short time ago, there was a exceptionally large tourist business, based on safaris and trips to Victoria Falls. The market anxiety and connected bloodshed have carved into this market.
Amongst Zimbabwe’s gambling dens, there are 2 in the capital, Harare, the Carribea Bay Resort and Casino, which has 5 gaming tables and one armed bandits, and the Plumtree Casino, which has just the slot machine games. The Zambesi Valley Hotel and Entertainment Center in Kariba also has only slots. Mutare contains the Monclair Hotel and Casino and the Leopard Rock Hotel and Casino, the pair 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, the pair of which offer gaming machines and tables.
In addition to Zimbabwe’s casinos and the above mentioned lottery and Zimbet (which is considerably like a parimutuel betting system), there are a total of 2 horse racing complexes in the nation: the Matabeleland Turf Club in Bulawayo (the 2nd municipality) and the Borrowdale Park in Harare.
Given that the market has shrunk by more than forty percent in recent years and with the associated deprivation and crime that has resulted, it is not known how healthy the vacationing industry which is the foundation for Zimbabwe’s gambling dens will do in the near future. How many of the casinos will still be around until conditions improve is simply not known.