The entire process of living in Zimbabwe is somewhat of a risk at the moment, so you might think that there might be little desire for patronizing Zimbabwe’s casinos. Actually, it seems to be working the other way around, with the critical economic circumstances creating a bigger desire to gamble, to attempt to locate a quick win, a way out of the problems.
For most of the citizens subsisting on the tiny local money, there are 2 dominant styles of gaming, the national lottery and Zimbet. Just as with practically everywhere else on the planet, there is a state lotto where the probabilities of winning are remarkably tiny, but then the winnings are also surprisingly high. It’s been said by economists who understand the idea that many do not buy a ticket with a real belief of hitting. Zimbet is built on one of the local or the United Kingston soccer leagues and involves determining the outcomes of future games.
Zimbabwe’s casinos, on the other foot, cater to the considerably rich of the state and tourists. Up till a short while ago, there was a exceptionally big sightseeing industry, centered on safaris and trips to Victoria Falls. The market anxiety and associated crime have cut into this market.
Among Zimbabwe’s gambling halls, there are 2 in the capital, Harare, the Carribea Bay Resort and Casino, which has five gaming tables and one armed bandits, and the Plumtree gambling hall, which has just the slot machines. The Zambesi Valley Hotel and Entertainment Center in Kariba also has only slot machines. Mutare has the Monclair Hotel and Casino and the Leopard Rock Hotel and Casino, the pair of which contain table games, slots and video poker machines, and Victoria Falls houses the Elephant Hills Hotel and Casino and the Makasa Sun Hotel and Casino, both of which have video poker machines and blackjack, roulette, and craps tables.
In addition to Zimbabwe’s casinos and the above alluded to lottery and Zimbet (which is very like a parimutuel betting system), there are also 2 horse racing tracks in the country: 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% in recent years and with the connected deprivation and violence that has resulted, it isn’t well-known how well the vacationing industry which is the backbone of Zimbabwe’s gambling dens will do in the near future. How many of the casinos will survive until conditions improve is basically unknown.
