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The act of living in Zimbabwe is somewhat of a risk at the moment, so you might think that there might be very little appetite for supporting Zimbabwe’s gambling dens. Actually, it seems to be operating the other way around, with the awful market conditions leading to a larger ambition to bet, to attempt to locate a fast win, a way from the crisis.

For the majority of the people surviving on the meager local wages, there are two dominant forms of gambling, the national lotto and Zimbet. Just as with almost everywhere else on the planet, there is a state lotto where the odds of succeeding are surprisingly small, but then the prizes are also remarkably big. It’s been said by financial experts who understand the situation that most do not buy a card with a real belief of hitting. Zimbet is founded on one of the national or the English soccer leagues and involves predicting the outcomes of future matches.

Zimbabwe’s casinos, on the other hand, pamper the astonishingly rich of the country and travelers. Up until not long ago, there was a very big tourist industry, centered on safaris and trips to Victoria Falls. The economic collapse and associated 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 only slot machines. 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 have gaming tables, slots and video poker machines, and Victoria Falls houses the Elephant Hills Hotel and Casino and the Makasa Sun Hotel and Casino, the pair of which has gaming machines and tables.

In addition to Zimbabwe’s casinos and the aforementioned mentioned lottery and Zimbet (which is quite like a parimutuel betting system), there are a total of two horse racing complexes in the country: the Matabeleland Turf Club in Bulawayo (the second municipality) and the Borrowdale Park in Harare.

Since the economy has shrunk by beyond 40% in recent years and with the associated deprivation and crime that has come to pass, it isn’t known how well the sightseeing industry which is the foundation for Zimbabwe’s casinos will do in the next few years. How many of them will survive until conditions get better is simply unknown.