The entire process of living in Zimbabwe is somewhat of a gamble at the moment, so you may imagine that there might be little appetite for visiting Zimbabwe’s casinos. In fact, it seems to be operating the opposite way around, with the critical market conditions creating a higher desire to play, to try and locate a fast win, a way from the crisis.

For many of the people subsisting on the abysmal nearby money, there are 2 common styles of gambling, the national lotto and Zimbet. As with practically everywhere else in the world, there is a state lotto where the odds of hitting are remarkably small, but then the winnings are also surprisingly large. It’s been said by market analysts who look at the concept that many don’t purchase a ticket with an actual expectation of profiting. Zimbet is based on either the national or the British soccer leagues and involves predicting the results of future games.

Zimbabwe’s casinos, on the other shoe, mollycoddle the incredibly rich of the country and sightseers. Until not long ago, there was a very big sightseeing business, based on nature trips and trips to Victoria Falls. The market collapse and connected bloodshed have carved into this market.

Amongst Zimbabwe’s gambling dens, there are two in the capital, Harare, the Carribea Bay Resort and Casino, which has five gaming tables and slots, and the Plumtree gambling hall, which has just the slots. 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, the two of which contain gaming tables, slot machines 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 video poker machines and tables.

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

Seeing as that the economy has contracted by more than 40% in recent years and with the associated poverty and bloodshed that has resulted, it is not known how healthy the vacationing business which is the backbone of Zimbabwe’s casinos will do in the near future. How many of the casinos will carry on until conditions get better is basically not known.