The prospect of living in Zimbabwe is somewhat of a risk at the current time, so you might imagine that there might be very little desire for supporting Zimbabwe’s gambling halls. Actually, it appears to be operating the other way, with the desperate economic circumstances creating a bigger desire to wager, to attempt to discover a quick win, a way out of the crisis.
For the majority of the locals living on the meager nearby wages, there are two popular types of betting, the national lotto and Zimbet. As with practically everywhere else on the globe, there is a national lottery where the odds of hitting are surprisingly tiny, but then the winnings are also very big. It’s been said by economists who look at the concept that many don’t buy a ticket with the rational expectation of profiting. Zimbet is founded on one of the national or the United Kingston soccer leagues and involves determining the outcomes of future matches.
Zimbabwe’s gambling dens, on the other foot, cater to the very rich of the nation and travelers. Until not long ago, there was a extremely large tourist industry, founded on nature trips and visits to Victoria Falls. The market woes and associated violence have carved into this trade.
Amongst Zimbabwe’s gambling halls, there are two in the capital, Harare, the Carribea Bay Resort and Casino, which has 5 gaming tables and slots, and the Plumtree gambling den, which has only 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 pair of which offer table games, one armed bandits and electronic poker machines, and Victoria Falls houses the Elephant Hills Hotel and Casino and the Makasa Sun Hotel and Casino, the two of which have slot machines and blackjack, roulette, and craps tables.
In addition to Zimbabwe’s casinos and the above mentioned lottery and Zimbet (which is considerably like a parimutuel betting system), there is a total of two horse racing complexes in the nation: 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 percent in recent years and with the connected deprivation and crime that has resulted, it isn’t well-known how healthy the tourist industry which is the backbone of Zimbabwe’s casinos will do in the next few years. How many of the casinos will carry through till conditions get better is merely unknown.