The act of living in Zimbabwe is somewhat of a gamble at the current time, so you could think that there would be very little affinity for patronizing Zimbabwe’s gambling dens. In fact, it seems to be operating the other way around, with the desperate market circumstances creating a larger desire to gamble, to attempt to locate a quick win, a way out of the situation.

For most of the locals subsisting on the abysmal local money, there are 2 common forms of wagering, the national lottery and Zimbet. Just as with almost everywhere else in the world, there is a state lotto where the odds of winning are extremely tiny, but then the prizes are also surprisingly big. It’s been said by market analysts who study the situation that most do not buy a ticket with a real expectation of hitting. Zimbet is built on one of the local or the English football divisions and involves determining the results of future matches.

Zimbabwe’s casinos, on the other hand, mollycoddle the considerably rich of the society and sightseers. Up till not long ago, there was a extremely large vacationing industry, centered on safaris and visits to Victoria Falls. The economic woes and associated bloodshed have carved into this market.

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 Casino, which has only slot machine games. 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 contain gaming tables, slots and video machines, and Victoria Falls has the Elephant Hills Hotel and Casino and the Makasa Sun Hotel and Casino, the two of which have video poker machines and tables.

In addition to Zimbabwe’s gambling dens and the previously 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 market has shrunk by more than 40% in the past few years and with the connected poverty and bloodshed that has arisen, it is not understood how healthy the tourist industry which funds Zimbabwe’s casinos will do in the next few years. How many of the casinos will still be around until things improve is basically unknown.