The act of living in Zimbabwe is something of a risk at the moment, so you could imagine that there might be little appetite for patronizing Zimbabwe’s gambling halls. Actually, it appears to be working the other way around, with the critical market conditions leading to a bigger eagerness to play, to try and find a fast win, a way out of the situation.
For most of the people living on the meager local earnings, there are two popular forms of gambling, the state lotto and Zimbet. As with most everywhere else in the world, there is a state lottery where the probabilities of hitting are unbelievably tiny, but then the prizes are also surprisingly big. It’s been said by economists who understand the situation that the lion’s share don’t purchase a ticket with an actual belief of hitting. Zimbet is built on one of the national or the English soccer divisions and involves determining the results of future games.
Zimbabwe’s gambling dens, on the other hand, cater to the astonishingly rich of the country and travelers. Up till a short while ago, there was a considerably large vacationing industry, based on safaris and visits to Victoria Falls. The market woes and associated conflict have cut into this market.
Among Zimbabwe’s gambling halls, there are two in the capital, Harare, the Carribea Bay Resort and Casino, which has five 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 only slots. Mutare has the Monclair Hotel and Casino and the Leopard Rock Hotel and Casino, the two of which offer gaming tables, slots and video machines, and Victoria Falls houses the Elephant Hills Hotel and Casino and the Makasa Sun Hotel and Casino, each of which has slot machines and table games.
In addition to Zimbabwe’s gambling dens and the previously talked about lottery and Zimbet (which is very like a pools system), there are also two horse racing tracks in the state: the Matabeleland Turf Club in Bulawayo (the 2nd municipality) and the Borrowdale Park in Harare.
Given that the market has diminished by beyond 40% in recent years and with the associated deprivation and conflict that has arisen, it isn’t understood how healthy the tourist industry which is the backbone of Zimbabwe’s gambling dens will do in the in the years to come. How many of them will carry through until things get better is merely not known.
