The prospect of living in Zimbabwe is somewhat of a risk at the moment, so you could envision that there would be very little appetite for patronizing Zimbabwe’s gambling dens. In reality, it seems to be working the other way, with the critical economic conditions leading to a higher eagerness to bet, to try and locate a quick win, a way out of the crisis.

For the majority of the people subsisting on the tiny local wages, there are two common forms of betting, the state lottery and Zimbet. Just as with practically everywhere else in the world, there is a national lotto where the probabilities of profiting are surprisingly low, but then the winnings are also very big. It’s been said by financial experts who look at the situation that many do not buy a card with a real expectation of profiting. Zimbet is built on either the domestic or the British soccer divisions and involves determining the outcomes of future matches.

Zimbabwe’s casinos, on the other foot, pander to the very rich of the state and travelers. Up until a short while ago, there was a very large sightseeing industry, built on nature trips and trips to Victoria Falls. The economic woes and connected bloodshed have cut into this trade.

Amongst Zimbabwe’s gambling halls, 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 Casino, which has just the slot machine games. 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 pair of which have table games, 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 offer video poker machines and tables.

In addition to Zimbabwe’s casinos and the aforestated mentioned lottery and Zimbet (which is considerably like a pools system), there are also 2 horse racing tracks in the nation: the Matabeleland Turf Club in Bulawayo (the 2nd city) and the Borrowdale Park in Harare.

Seeing as that the economy has diminished by beyond 40% in recent years and with the associated deprivation and violence that has come to pass, it is not well-known how well the sightseeing industry which is the foundation for Zimbabwe’s casinos will do in the near future. How many of the casinos will be alive until things get better is basically not known.