The prospect of living in Zimbabwe is something of a gamble at the current time, so you could envision that there would be little affinity for going to Zimbabwe’s gambling halls. In reality, it seems to be operating the opposite way around, with the desperate market conditions creating a larger desire to gamble, to try and find a quick win, a way out of the situation.

For almost all of the people surviving on the abysmal local wages, there are 2 dominant styles of gaming, the state lotto and Zimbet. As with almost everywhere else on the globe, there is a state lotto where the chances of hitting are remarkably tiny, but then the winnings are also extremely large. It’s been said by financial experts who study the concept that many don’t purchase a card with the rational belief of winning. Zimbet is based on either the local or the UK soccer leagues and involves predicting the outcomes of future matches.

Zimbabwe’s gambling dens, on the other foot, pamper the very rich of the nation and tourists. Until not long ago, there was a very large tourist industry, centered on nature trips and visits to Victoria Falls. The economic woes and connected crime 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 gambling den, which has only slots. The Zambesi Valley Hotel and Entertainment Center in Kariba also has just one armed bandits. Mutare has the Monclair Hotel and Casino and the Leopard Rock Hotel and Casino, both of which contain gaming tables, slots and electronic poker machines, and Victoria Falls has the Elephant Hills Hotel and Casino and the Makasa Sun Hotel and Casino, the pair of which has video poker machines and blackjack, roulette, and craps tables.

In addition to Zimbabwe’s gambling halls and the previously alluded to lottery and Zimbet (which is considerably like a parimutuel betting system), there are a total of two horse racing tracks in the country: the Matabeleland Turf Club in Bulawayo (the second city) and the Borrowdale Park in Harare.

Since the economy has contracted by beyond 40 percent in the past few years and with the associated poverty and conflict that has resulted, it is not known how healthy the tourist business which supports Zimbabwe’s gambling dens will do in the next few years. How many of the casinos will still be around until conditions get better is basically not known.