The act of living in Zimbabwe is somewhat of a gamble at the current time, so you may think that there would be very little affinity for patronizing Zimbabwe’s gambling dens. In reality, it seems to be working the other way, with the awful economic circumstances leading to a bigger eagerness to play, to attempt to discover a quick win, a way from the difficulty.

For most of the locals subsisting on the tiny local wages, there are two common types of betting, the state lottery and Zimbet. Just as with most everywhere else on the globe, there is a state lottery where the probabilities of hitting are remarkably tiny, but then the prizes are also very big. It’s been said by market analysts who study the subject that the majority do not buy a ticket with an actual expectation of hitting. Zimbet is built on either the national or the English soccer leagues and involves determining the outcomes of future matches.

Zimbabwe’s gambling dens, on the other hand, look after the astonishingly rich of the state and tourists. Until recently, there was a very substantial sightseeing industry, based on safaris and trips to Victoria Falls. The economic woes and connected conflict have cut into this market.

Amongst Zimbabwe’s casinos, there are two in the capital, Harare, the Carribea Bay Resort and Casino, which has five gaming tables and slot machines, and the Plumtree gambling hall, which has only slot machines. The Zambesi Valley Hotel and Entertainment Center in Kariba also has only one armed bandits. Mutare contains the Monclair Hotel and Casino and the Leopard Rock Hotel and Casino, both of which contain gaming tables, one armed bandits and electronic poker machines, and Victoria Falls houses the Elephant Hills Hotel and Casino and the Makasa Sun Hotel and Casino, both of which offer gaming machines and tables.

In addition to Zimbabwe’s gambling halls and the above alluded to lottery and Zimbet (which is very like a pools system), there are also two horse racing tracks in the state: the Matabeleland Turf Club in Bulawayo (the 2nd municipality) and the Borrowdale Park in Harare.

Given that the market has contracted by more than 40 percent in the past few years and with the associated deprivation and violence that has come about, it is not understood how well the sightseeing business which funds Zimbabwe’s casinos will do in the in the years to come. How many of the casinos will be alive until things get better is basically unknown.