The prospect of living in Zimbabwe is somewhat of a gamble at the moment, so you might imagine that there might be little desire for going to Zimbabwe’s gambling halls. In fact, it seems to be functioning the other way around, with the desperate economic circumstances leading to a bigger eagerness to play, to attempt to find a quick win, a way from the difficulty.
For most of the locals living on the abysmal local money, there are 2 established forms of wagering, the state lotto and Zimbet. Just as with practically everywhere else on the globe, there is a state lotto where the probabilities of hitting are unbelievably small, but then the winnings are also surprisingly high. It’s been said by financial experts who study the situation that most do not buy a card with a real expectation of hitting. Zimbet is centered on either the domestic or the UK soccer divisions and involves predicting the results of future games.
Zimbabwe’s gambling halls, on the other hand, look after the extremely rich of the country and vacationers. Until recently, there was a incredibly large tourist business, centered on nature trips and visits to Victoria Falls. The market anxiety and associated violence 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 slots, and the Plumtree gambling den, which has only slot machine games. 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, slots and video machines, and Victoria Falls houses the Elephant Hills Hotel and Casino and the Makasa Sun Hotel and Casino, the pair of which offer gaming machines and blackjack, roulette, and craps tables.
In addition to Zimbabwe’s gambling dens and the aforestated talked about lottery and Zimbet (which is very like a pools system), there are also 2 horse racing complexes in the country: the Matabeleland Turf Club in Bulawayo (the 2nd city) and the Borrowdale Park in Harare.
Since the economy has shrunk by more than forty percent in the past few years and with the connected deprivation and conflict that has come about, it isn’t known how healthy the sightseeing business which supports Zimbabwe’s gambling halls will do in the next few years. How many of the casinos will carry through till conditions get better is simply not known.