[ English ]

The prospect of living in Zimbabwe is something of a risk at the moment, so you might think that there might be little desire for going to Zimbabwe’s gambling dens. In fact, it seems to be operating the opposite way, with the atrocious economic conditions leading to a bigger desire to wager, to attempt to find a fast win, a way from the crisis.

For the majority of the people subsisting on the meager local money, there are two common forms of gaming, the national lottery and Zimbet. As with almost everywhere else on the globe, there is a national lotto where the odds of winning are surprisingly tiny, but then the winnings are also very high. It’s been said by market analysts who understand the idea that the majority don’t purchase a card with an actual assumption of winning. Zimbet is centered on one of the national or the English soccer leagues and involves predicting the outcomes of future games.

Zimbabwe’s gambling halls, on the other hand, mollycoddle the exceedingly rich of the nation and travelers. Up until a short while ago, there was a extremely big tourist business, centered on nature trips and visits to Victoria Falls. The market woes and associated crime 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 five gaming tables and slots, and the Plumtree Casino, which has only slots. The Zambesi Valley Hotel and Entertainment Center in Kariba also has only one armed bandits. Mutare has the Monclair Hotel and Casino and the Leopard Rock Hotel and Casino, both of which offer table games, one armed bandits 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 has video poker machines and table games.

In addition to Zimbabwe’s casinos and the aforestated talked about lottery and Zimbet (which is quite like a pools system), there is a total of 2 horse racing complexes in the state: the Matabeleland Turf Club in Bulawayo (the second municipality) and the Borrowdale Park in Harare.

Since the economy has diminished by more than 40% in recent years and with the associated poverty and crime that has resulted, it isn’t understood how healthy the tourist industry which is the foundation for Zimbabwe’s casinos will do in the next few years. How many of them will be alive till things get better is simply unknown.