The act of living in Zimbabwe is somewhat of a risk at the current time, so you might think that there would be very little appetite for going to Zimbabwe’s gambling halls. Actually, it seems to be operating the other way around, with the awful economic conditions creating a bigger desire to bet, to try and locate a fast win, a way out of the problems.

For the majority of the locals surviving on the tiny nearby wages, there are two popular types of wagering, the national lottery and Zimbet. As with almost everywhere else on the planet, there is a national lotto where the chances of succeeding are surprisingly low, but then the winnings are also very high. It’s been said by financial experts who look at the subject that the majority don’t buy a ticket with a real belief of hitting. Zimbet is based on either the domestic or the English soccer divisions and involves determining the outcomes of future games.

Zimbabwe’s gambling halls, on the other foot, pander to the incredibly rich of the nation and travelers. Up till a short while ago, there was a very substantial vacationing industry, based on nature trips and trips to Victoria Falls. The economic collapse and connected conflict 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 slot machines, and the Plumtree Casino, which has only slot machine games. The Zambesi Valley Hotel and Entertainment Center in Kariba also has just slot machines. Mutare contains the Monclair Hotel and Casino and the Leopard Rock Hotel and Casino, both of which offer gaming tables, slot machines and video poker machines, and Victoria Falls has the Elephant Hills Hotel and Casino and the Makasa Sun Hotel and Casino, each of which has 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 pools system), there are a total of two horse racing tracks in the state: the Matabeleland Turf Club in Bulawayo (the second metropolis) and the Borrowdale Park in Harare.

Given that the economy has deflated by beyond 40% in the past few years and with the connected poverty and violence that has come to pass, it isn’t known how well the vacationing business which is the foundation for Zimbabwe’s gambling halls will do in the next few years. How many of them will survive till conditions improve is basically unknown.