The act of living in Zimbabwe is somewhat of a gamble at the moment, so you might think that there would be little desire for patronizing Zimbabwe’s gambling halls. In reality, it seems to be working the opposite way around, with the crucial economic circumstances leading to a bigger eagerness to bet, to try and discover a fast win, a way out of the crisis.
For most of the locals living on the meager nearby money, there are 2 popular styles of gambling, the national lotto and Zimbet. As with almost everywhere else in the world, there is a state lottery where the probabilities of hitting are remarkably small, but then the jackpots are also very large. It’s been said by economists who look at the situation that many do not purchase a card with a real assumption of profiting. Zimbet is based on either the domestic or the British football divisions and involves determining the outcomes of future matches.
Zimbabwe’s gambling halls, on the other shoe, look after the very rich of the society and vacationers. Up till not long ago, there was a extremely large vacationing business, centered on safaris and visits to Victoria Falls. The economic woes and connected conflict have carved into this trade.
Among Zimbabwe’s casinos, there are 2 in the capital, Harare, the Carribea Bay Resort and Casino, which has 5 gaming tables and slot machines, and the Plumtree gambling den, which has just the slots. The Zambesi Valley Hotel and Entertainment Center in Kariba also has just slots. Mutare has the Monclair Hotel and Casino and the Leopard Rock Hotel and Casino, the pair of which offer gaming tables, slots and electronic poker machines, and Victoria Falls houses the Elephant Hills Hotel and Casino and the Makasa Sun Hotel and Casino, both of which has slot machines and blackjack, roulette, and craps tables.
In addition to Zimbabwe’s gambling dens and the above mentioned lottery and Zimbet (which is quite like a parimutuel betting system), there are also 2 horse racing tracks in the state: the Matabeleland Turf Club in Bulawayo (the second municipality) and the Borrowdale Park in Harare.
Given that the economy has deflated by more than 40 percent in the past few years and with the associated deprivation and conflict that has cropped up, it is not understood how well the tourist industry which is the backbone of Zimbabwe’s gambling dens will do in the next few years. How many of the casinos will carry on till things get better is simply not known.
