Zimbabweans Betting on Pool Games to Make a Living

Several factors, including low employment and payment rates, exacerbate the cost of living in Zimbabwe. The country recently considered legalizing online gambling, but the latest wave of illegal sports betting is just one symptom of a more significant problem.

Betting on Pool Matches

Pool tables are popping up all over parts of Zimbabwe and with good reason. People flock to host unofficial tournaments, and some even charge fees to enter and create a prize pool. A report from the Associated Press (AP) sheds more light on an 18-year-old gambler who bet on himself, hoping to take home $150. capital Harare. He said the $150 would help him pay the bills.

Cost Abroad estimated the average cost of living per person per month for Ruwa at around $115. With meager full-time employment rates in Zimbabwe and about half of the country considered highly impoverished, informal work is primarily regarded as the norm. Way of earning a living. This includes everything from selling merchandise on the street to participating in pool tournaments and the gambling frenzy that goes with it. While these types of impromptu betting events aren’t officially sanctioned, cops can sometimes cost as little as $2 to buy, according to an AP report. However, it could be a matter of quantity over quality, as shabby billiard tables have popped up everywhere. From pubs to schoolyards and sometimes even on the street.

Africa’s Gambling Story

The Zimbabwean people are not alone in realizing how financially productive gambling can be. The country recently turned to online gambling, hoping that expanding the legal framework for its gambling scene could help ease economic pressures. Legalization also generally goes hand in hand with limiting illegal markets, another sore point for Zimbabwe. The country is one example of a legal sports betting territory plagued by unregulated gambling activity. In general, this is a significant cause for concern for African governments, as opinion on whether the game is genuinely beneficial is divided between a firm yes and respect for the future of the emerging new middle class. 

However, many agree that regulation is key to protecting the most vulnerable sections of society. There is no one size fits all solution. Zimbabwe’s move towards online gambling shows that there is indeed some progress on this evolving problem. However, the continent as a whole is an example of where improvement is there but slow. Meanwhile, people of different ages find relief in making odd bets and wagering their hard-earned money on a chance to multiply it. Families with enough money to make ends meet while others have a different experience. In any case, the history of betting in Africa continues and everyone is waiting for the best result.