11.17
Zimbabwe Casinos
The prospect of living in Zimbabwe is somewhat of a risk at the moment, so you might imagine that there might be very little affinity for supporting Zimbabwe’s gambling dens. In fact, it seems to be operating the other way, with the critical economic conditions creating a larger ambition to play, to try and find a fast win, a way from the crisis.
For the majority of the people surviving on the abysmal local money, there are 2 popular styles of gambling, the state lotto and Zimbet. Just as with most everywhere else on the globe, there is a state lotto where the probabilities of winning are unbelievably small, but then the winnings are also surprisingly large. It’s been said by market analysts who understand the situation that the lion’s share don’t purchase a ticket with the rational expectation of profiting. Zimbet is based on either the local or the UK soccer leagues and involves determining the outcomes of future matches.
Zimbabwe’s casinos, on the other hand, cater to the incredibly rich of the country and vacationers. Until a short time ago, there was a considerably big tourist business, built on nature trips and visits to Victoria Falls. The market collapse and associated violence have cut into this market.
Amongst Zimbabwe’s casinos, there are 2 in the capital, Harare, the Carribea Bay Resort and Casino, which has five gaming tables and slots, and the Plumtree gambling den, which has just the slots. The Zambesi Valley Hotel and Entertainment Center in Kariba also has only slots. Mutare contains the Monclair Hotel and Casino and the Leopard Rock Hotel and Casino, the two of which offer table games, slots and electronic poker machines, and Victoria Falls has the Elephant Hills Hotel and Casino and the Makasa Sun Hotel and Casino, each of which offer video poker machines and tables.
In addition to Zimbabwe’s casinos and the aforestated alluded to lottery and Zimbet (which is very like a parimutuel betting system), there are also two horse racing tracks in the country: the Matabeleland Turf Club in Bulawayo (the 2nd city) and the Borrowdale Park in Harare.
Given that the market has deflated by more than 40 percent in recent years and with the connected poverty and crime that has resulted, it is not well-known how well the tourist business which is the foundation for Zimbabwe’s gambling halls will do in the near future. How many of the casinos will still be around until conditions get better is merely not known.