The entire process of living in Zimbabwe is somewhat of a risk at the moment, so you could envision that there would be little affinity for patronizing Zimbabwe’s gambling dens. Actually, it seems to be functioning the other way, with the atrocious market conditions leading to a higher desire to play, to attempt to discover a fast win, a way from the crisis.
For many of the citizens surviving on the abysmal local money, there are 2 popular forms of wagering, the national lotto and Zimbet. As with most everywhere else on the planet, there is a state lottery where the probabilities of succeeding are extremely low, but then the jackpots are also remarkably big. It’s been said by market analysts who look at the subject that the lion’s share do not buy a ticket with a real expectation of profiting. Zimbet is based on either the national or the British soccer leagues and involves determining the results of future matches.
Zimbabwe’s casinos, on the other foot, cater to the very rich of the state and sightseers. Up till recently, there was a exceptionally large tourist business, centered on nature trips and trips to Victoria Falls. The market woes and associated bloodshed have carved into this market.
Amongst Zimbabwe’s casinos, 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 gambling den, which has just the slots. 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 two of which offer table games, slots and video poker machines, and Victoria Falls houses the Elephant Hills Hotel and Casino and the Makasa Sun Hotel and Casino, the pair of which offer video poker machines and blackjack, roulette, and craps tables.
In addition to Zimbabwe’s gambling halls and the aforestated mentioned lottery and Zimbet (which is quite like a pools system), there are a total of 2 horse racing complexes in the country: the Matabeleland Turf Club in Bulawayo (the second metropolis) and the Borrowdale Park in Harare.
Given that the economy has contracted by more than 40% in recent years and with the connected poverty and violence that has cropped up, it is not known how healthy the sightseeing industry which is the backbone of Zimbabwe’s gambling halls will do in the next few years. How many of them will carry on until conditions improve is basically not known.