The act of living in Zimbabwe is somewhat of a gamble at the moment, so you could think that there might be little appetite for patronizing Zimbabwe’s casinos. In fact, it appears to be functioning the other way, with the atrocious market circumstances leading to a bigger ambition to gamble, to attempt to discover a quick win, a way out of the problems.
For the majority of the locals living on the tiny local wages, there are two popular forms of gaming, the national lotto and Zimbet. Just as with almost everywhere else in the world, there is a national lotto where the odds of hitting are unbelievably small, but then the prizes are also unbelievably high. It’s been said by economists who look at the concept that most do not purchase a ticket with the rational expectation of hitting. Zimbet is based on one of the national or the UK football divisions and involves determining the results of future games.
Zimbabwe’s gambling dens, on the other foot, look after the considerably rich of the state and tourists. Up until recently, there was a very big sightseeing industry, centered on nature trips and trips to Victoria Falls. The market anxiety and associated violence have carved into this trade.
Among Zimbabwe’s gambling dens, there are 2 in the capital, Harare, the Carribea Bay Resort and Casino, which has 5 gaming tables and slot machines, and the Plumtree gambling den, which has just the slot machine games. The Zambesi Valley Hotel and Entertainment Center in Kariba also has just one armed bandits. Mutare has the Monclair Hotel and Casino and the Leopard Rock Hotel and Casino, both of which offer gaming tables, one armed bandits and video poker machines, and Victoria Falls has the Elephant Hills Hotel and Casino and the Makasa Sun Hotel and Casino, the pair of which have gaming machines and blackjack, roulette, and craps tables.
In addition to Zimbabwe’s gambling dens and the above mentioned lottery and Zimbet (which is very like a pools system), there are a total of 2 horse racing tracks in the state: the Matabeleland Turf Club in Bulawayo (the second city) and the Borrowdale Park in Harare.
Given that the economy has contracted by more than 40% in the past few years and with the connected poverty and conflict that has resulted, it is not known how well the tourist business which is the foundation for Zimbabwe’s casinos will do in the in the years to come. How many of them will survive till things get better is basically not known.