The entire process of living in Zimbabwe is something of a risk at the moment, so you might think that there might be very little appetite for supporting Zimbabwe’s gambling dens. In reality, it appears to be functioning the other way, with the atrocious economic circumstances creating a greater desire to gamble, to try and find a quick win, a way from the situation.
For many of the locals surviving on the tiny local wages, there are 2 popular forms of gaming, the national lotto and Zimbet. As with most everywhere else on the globe, there is a national lotto where the probabilities of profiting are extremely small, but then the winnings are also extremely high. It’s been said by economists who look at the situation that the majority do not buy a ticket with the rational expectation of winning. Zimbet is based on one of the national or the UK football divisions and involves predicting the results of future matches.
Zimbabwe’s gambling dens, on the other foot, cater to the extremely rich of the state and travelers. Until recently, there was a extremely large tourist industry, built on nature trips and trips to Victoria Falls. The economic woes and connected violence have carved into this market.
Among Zimbabwe’s casinos, 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 slots. The Zambesi Valley Hotel and Entertainment Center in Kariba also has just one armed bandits. Mutare contains the Monclair Hotel and Casino and the Leopard Rock Hotel and Casino, the two of which have gaming tables, 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 offer video poker machines and table games.
In addition to Zimbabwe’s gambling dens and the above alluded to lottery and Zimbet (which is very like a parimutuel betting system), there are a total of two horse racing complexes in the country: the Matabeleland Turf Club in Bulawayo (the 2nd metropolis) and the Borrowdale Park in Harare.
Since the market has shrunk by beyond forty percent in the past few years and with the associated deprivation and conflict that has come about, it isn’t known how healthy the sightseeing business which funds Zimbabwe’s gambling dens will do in the in the years to come. How many of the casinos will still be around until conditions get better is basically unknown.
