[ English ]

The entire process of living in Zimbabwe is something of a gamble at the current time, so you could think that there would be little desire for supporting Zimbabwe’s casinos. In reality, it seems to be working the other way, with the desperate market conditions leading to a higher desire to wager, to try and locate a quick win, a way from the problems.

For most of the locals surviving on the meager nearby wages, there are 2 common forms of wagering, the national lottery and Zimbet. As with almost everywhere else on the planet, there is a state lottery where the probabilities of profiting are extremely small, but then the prizes are also surprisingly large. It’s been said by market analysts who study the subject that most don’t purchase a card with an actual expectation of profiting. Zimbet is founded on one of the local or the British football divisions and involves determining the results of future matches.

Zimbabwe’s gambling dens, on the other hand, look after the extremely rich of the society and tourists. Until not long ago, there was a incredibly big vacationing industry, centered on safaris and trips to Victoria Falls. The economic anxiety and associated bloodshed have cut into this trade.

Among Zimbabwe’s casinos, there are two 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 only slots. The Zambesi Valley Hotel and Entertainment Center in Kariba also has just slots. Mutare has the Monclair Hotel and Casino and the Leopard Rock Hotel and Casino, the two of which offer gaming tables, slots and video machines, and Victoria Falls houses the Elephant Hills Hotel and Casino and the Makasa Sun Hotel and Casino, both of which have slot machines and tables.

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

Seeing as that the market has diminished by beyond 40% in the past few years and with the associated deprivation and violence that has cropped up, it isn’t understood how healthy the sightseeing business which supports Zimbabwe’s gambling dens will do in the near future. How many of the casinos will still be around until conditions get better is simply not known.