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The entire process of living in Zimbabwe is somewhat of a risk at the moment, so you might think that there would be little affinity for patronizing Zimbabwe’s casinos. In reality, it seems to be working the other way, with the desperate economic circumstances creating a larger eagerness to play, to try and find a fast win, a way from the crisis.

For many of the citizens surviving on the tiny local wages, there are 2 dominant styles of gaming, the national lottery and Zimbet. As with almost everywhere else in the world, there is a state lottery where the chances of hitting are remarkably small, but then the prizes are also unbelievably large. It’s been said by economists who look at the concept that the majority do not purchase a ticket with a real expectation of hitting. Zimbet is centered on either the national or the English soccer divisions and involves determining the results of future matches.

Zimbabwe’s casinos, on the other hand, pander to the incredibly rich of the country and sightseers. Up till a short while ago, there was a extremely large sightseeing industry, based on nature trips and visits to Victoria Falls. The market anxiety and associated conflict have cut into this market.

Amongst Zimbabwe’s gambling halls, there are 2 in the capital, Harare, the Carribea Bay Resort and Casino, which has 5 gaming tables and one armed bandits, and the Plumtree Casino, which has just the slot machine games. The Zambesi Valley Hotel and Entertainment Center in Kariba also has only slot machines. Mutare has the Monclair Hotel and Casino and the Leopard Rock Hotel and Casino, the two of which offer table games, 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 have video poker machines and table games.

In addition to Zimbabwe’s gambling halls and the above mentioned lottery and Zimbet (which is very like a parimutuel betting system), there are a total of 2 horse racing tracks in the state: the Matabeleland Turf Club in Bulawayo (the 2nd city) and the Borrowdale Park in Harare.

Given that the market has deflated by beyond 40 percent in the past few years and with the connected deprivation and crime that has come to pass, it is not understood how well the tourist business which is the foundation for Zimbabwe’s casinos will do in the in the years to come. How many of them will be alive until things improve is merely not known.