The entire process of living in Zimbabwe is somewhat of a gamble at the current time, so you could imagine that there might be little appetite for patronizing Zimbabwe’s casinos. Actually, it appears to be working the other way, with the atrocious economic circumstances creating a greater ambition to wager, to try and discover a fast win, a way from the crisis.
For many of the citizens subsisting on the tiny local wages, there are 2 established types of betting, the state lottery and Zimbet. Just as with practically everywhere else on the globe, there is a state lottery where the odds of profiting are surprisingly low, but then the winnings are also very large. It’s been said by economists who look at the concept that many do not buy a card with an actual assumption of winning. Zimbet is centered on one of the national or the United Kingston soccer leagues and involves predicting the outcomes of future matches.
Zimbabwe’s casinos, on the other hand, look after the very rich of the country and sightseers. Up till not long ago, there was a incredibly large sightseeing industry, founded on nature trips and visits to Victoria Falls. The market anxiety and associated conflict have cut into this market.
Amongst Zimbabwe’s gambling halls, there are two in the capital, Harare, the Carribea Bay Resort and Casino, which has 5 gaming tables and slot machines, and the Plumtree gambling hall, which has just the slot machines. 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, one armed bandits and video machines, and Victoria Falls has the Elephant Hills Hotel and Casino and the Makasa Sun Hotel and Casino, the two of which have gaming machines and tables.
In addition to Zimbabwe’s casinos and the previously talked about lottery and Zimbet (which is quite like a pools system), there are a total of 2 horse racing tracks in the state: the Matabeleland Turf Club in Bulawayo (the 2nd city) and the Borrowdale Park in Harare.
Given that the economy has shrunk by beyond 40% in recent years and with the connected poverty and conflict that has arisen, it is not well-known how healthy the vacationing industry which supports Zimbabwe’s casinos will do in the next few years. How many of the casinos will carry through until conditions get better is merely not known.
