The entire process of living in Zimbabwe is something of a risk at the moment, so you could think that there might be little appetite for supporting Zimbabwe’s casinos. Actually, it appears to be operating the other way around, with the desperate market conditions leading to a bigger ambition to play, to try and discover a quick win, a way out of the problems.
For most of the people subsisting on the tiny local earnings, there are two dominant styles of wagering, the national lottery and Zimbet. Just as with most everywhere else in the world, there is a national lottery where the chances of winning are remarkably small, but then the winnings are also extremely high. It’s been said by financial experts who look at the concept that most don’t buy a ticket with the rational assumption of winning. Zimbet is built on either the local or the English soccer leagues and involves determining the results of future games.
Zimbabwe’s gambling dens, on the other foot, pander to the extremely rich of the state and travelers. Up until recently, there was a exceptionally large tourist industry, built on safaris and trips to Victoria Falls. The economic anxiety and associated bloodshed have cut into this market.
Among Zimbabwe’s casinos, 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 only slots. The Zambesi Valley Hotel and Entertainment Center in Kariba also has just slot machines. Mutare has the Monclair Hotel and Casino and the Leopard Rock Hotel and Casino, the pair of which contain gaming tables, slots and electronic poker machines, and Victoria Falls has the Elephant Hills Hotel and Casino and the Makasa Sun Hotel and Casino, the two of which offer video poker machines and table games.
In addition to Zimbabwe’s gambling halls and the aforestated mentioned lottery and Zimbet (which is considerably like a parimutuel betting system), there are a total of 2 horse racing complexes in the country: the Matabeleland Turf Club in Bulawayo (the second city) and the Borrowdale Park in Harare.
Given that the economy has shrunk by more than 40% in the past few years and with the associated poverty and bloodshed that has arisen, it isn’t understood how well the sightseeing business which is the foundation for Zimbabwe’s casinos will do in the near future. How many of the casinos will carry on until things get better is simply unknown.
