Simon’s Guide to Gambling in Zimbabwe
Sports betting in Zimbabwe
Gambling in Zimbabwe is gaining more and more popularity in recent years, as economic hardships and unemployment grow larger, many people look at gambling as a potential source of income outside of the formal economy.
Gambling in Zimbabwe is legal and regulated. The Lotteries and Gambling Board is the governmental body responsible for overseeing and controlling Zimbabwe’s gambling industry through the Lotteries and Gaming Act, which was enacted in 1998.
The board is also trusted with the task of issuing licenses to gambling facilities. Online gambling is also legal and regulated by the Gaming Act, there are mentions of “electronic gaming devices” and it also says, it’s aim is “to regulate and control the development and operation of all lotteries and gaming activities”, it is safe to assume, it applies to online gambling as well.
Online casinos accepting players from Zimbabwe
The following online gambling websites accept players from Zimbabwe
888 Casino, Poker, Bingo and Sportsbook
888 online gambling: casino games, poker, bingo & bookmaker, current 2022 promos, UK players accepted (no USA)
- €1500 welcome bonus package, promo code: WELCOME1
USA players are not accepted, but UK players are accepted. Full list of banned countries can be found in the drop down menu below. All in one gambling destination with poker, sports betting, live dealer games, bingo and over 1000 casino games, all accessibe with one players account (but on separate platforms). You can read the review of 888 Casino here.
Playthrough requirements, wagering limitations, terms and conditions and list of restricted countries
General bonus terms and conditions at the 888 gambling websites:
- welcome bonuses are only available for new players
- bonuses are available in US Dollars, GBP, Euros or Canadian Dollars
- the minimum deposit to receive any bonus is €10
- the bonus + deposit needs to be wagered within 7 days from date of activation
Playthrough requirement of the welcome bonus: 30x, the deposit bonus amount must be wagered 30 times before withdrawal. Playthrough requirement of the free spins: no free spins currently, free spins expire after 14 days
Wagering limitation:
Game type: | Contribution: |
Video slots & other types of slots, Scratch cards, Keno, Race, Arcade, Dice (and all other types of games not specifically mentioned below) | 100% |
Pai Gow, Caribbean Poker, Triple Card Poker and other kinds of table poker | 20% |
Blackjack, Roulette, Baccarat, Live casino games, Video poker | 10% |
Craps | 5% |
UPDATE COVID-19: The online casino does not use the global pandemic situation for advertisement purposes, or to encourage the usage of its online gambling platform. In fact, it's forbidden to use the namesake, name, likeness and official logo or any depiction of the casino/company (and this casino gambling blog) in conjunction with any marketing campaign, which uses the novel coronavirus pandemic for promotion.
888 Casino does not accept players from:
Mr Bit Casino and Sportsbook
Mr. Bit casino & bookmaker, current 2022 bonus offers, welcome bonus, free spins and offers for returning players, 18+
- 100% welcome bonus Up To €500 + 50 Free Spins
- Free spins every day for returning players
- 33% reload bonus for returning players
You can read the full review of Mr Bit casino here. USA and UK players are not accepted. Full list of banned countries can be found in the review and below.
Playthrough requirements, wagering limitations, terms and conditions and list of restricted countries
General bonus terms and conditions at Mr. Bit and its sister sites:
- welcome bonuses are only available for 30 days after account creation
- the minimum deposit to receive any bonus is €10
- the bonus + deposit needs to be wagered within 7 days from date of activation
Playthrough requirement of the welcome bonus: 27x, the deposit bonus amount must be wagered 27 times before withdrawal. Playthrough requirement of the free spins: 30x, the deposit bonus amount must be wagered 30 times before withdrawal.
Playthrough requirement: No playthrough requirement for the extra weekly money. In case of the welcome bonus:
- Minimum deposit amount: €10
- Maximum bonus amount: €500
- Wagering requirements: x27 (deposit + bonus)
- Participating slots: Jungle Jim and the Lost Sphinx
- Bet per spin: €0,10
- Wagering requirements: x30 (bonus)
- Limit on withdrawing from the free spins: x10
- 7 days for wagering
Wagering limitation:
- 7 days for wagering
- Player from certain countries are not allowed use bonuses due to regular bonus abuse, check the casino's website for the ever changing up to date list.
- Please note that the free spins will appear on the account, once the 150% bonus has been wagered. Your players will get 10 free spins per day over the course of 5 days (50 free spins in total).
UPDATE COVID-19: The online casino does not use the global pandemic situation for advertisement purposes, or to encourage the usage of its online gambling platform. In fact, it's forbidden to use the namesake, name, likeness and official logo or any depiction of the casino/company (and this casino gambling blog) in conjunction with any marketing campaign, which uses the novel coronavirus pandemic for promotion.
Mr Bit Casino does not accept players from:
Summary:
- Casino gambling in Zimbabwe
- Bingo in Zimbabwe
- Poker in Zimbabwe
- Sports Betting in Zimbabwe
- Lottery in Zimbabwe
- BitCoin Gambling in Zimbabwe
Casino gambling in Zimbabwe
Online casino gambling in Zimbabwe: legal, casinos require a license
Zimbabwe, according to many separate sources on the internet, has 8 major brick-and-mortar gambling facilities at the time of writing, 3 of which are located in its capital, Harare. Almost all of these are operated in dedicated casino spaces of major hotels and tourist resorts.
So far, online gambling in Zimbabwe have not been relevant, due to the low internet penetration (although, according to the most recent metrics it stands on 44,3%, currently*).
The relatively low internet penetration is part of the reason that there are no Zimbabwe-based online casinos, and for a citizen of Zimbabwe, to access ones that are operated from abroad is not directly regulated, so it is practically legal.
The online casinos below accept players from Zimbabwe.
*Source: http://www.potraz.gov.zw/images/stats/First_Quarter_2015.pdf
The following online casino websites accept players from Zimbabwe:
888 Casino, Poker, Bingo and Sportsbook
888 online gambling: casino games, poker, bingo & bookmaker, current 2022 promos, UK players accepted (no USA)
- €1500 welcome bonus package, promo code: WELCOME1
USA players are not accepted, but UK players are accepted. Full list of banned countries can be found in the drop down menu below. All in one gambling destination with poker, sports betting, live dealer games, bingo and over 1000 casino games, all accessibe with one players account (but on separate platforms). You can read the review of 888 Casino here.
Playthrough requirements, wagering limitations, terms and conditions and list of restricted countries
General bonus terms and conditions at the 888 gambling websites:
- welcome bonuses are only available for new players
- bonuses are available in US Dollars, GBP, Euros or Canadian Dollars
- the minimum deposit to receive any bonus is €10
- the bonus + deposit needs to be wagered within 7 days from date of activation
Playthrough requirement of the welcome bonus: 30x, the deposit bonus amount must be wagered 30 times before withdrawal. Playthrough requirement of the free spins: no free spins currently, free spins expire after 14 days
Wagering limitation:
Game type: | Contribution: |
Video slots & other types of slots, Scratch cards, Keno, Race, Arcade, Dice (and all other types of games not specifically mentioned below) | 100% |
Pai Gow, Caribbean Poker, Triple Card Poker and other kinds of table poker | 20% |
Blackjack, Roulette, Baccarat, Live casino games, Video poker | 10% |
Craps | 5% |
UPDATE COVID-19: The online casino does not use the global pandemic situation for advertisement purposes, or to encourage the usage of its online gambling platform. In fact, it's forbidden to use the namesake, name, likeness and official logo or any depiction of the casino/company (and this casino gambling blog) in conjunction with any marketing campaign, which uses the novel coronavirus pandemic for promotion.
888 Casino does not accept players from:
Mr Bit Casino and Sportsbook
Mr. Bit casino & bookmaker, current 2022 bonus offers, welcome bonus, free spins and offers for returning players, 18+
- 100% welcome bonus Up To €500 + 50 Free Spins
- Free spins every day for returning players
- 33% reload bonus for returning players
You can read the full review of Mr Bit casino here. USA and UK players are not accepted. Full list of banned countries can be found in the review and below.
Playthrough requirements, wagering limitations, terms and conditions and list of restricted countries
General bonus terms and conditions at Mr. Bit and its sister sites:
- welcome bonuses are only available for 30 days after account creation
- the minimum deposit to receive any bonus is €10
- the bonus + deposit needs to be wagered within 7 days from date of activation
Playthrough requirement of the welcome bonus: 27x, the deposit bonus amount must be wagered 27 times before withdrawal. Playthrough requirement of the free spins: 30x, the deposit bonus amount must be wagered 30 times before withdrawal.
Playthrough requirement: No playthrough requirement for the extra weekly money. In case of the welcome bonus:
- Minimum deposit amount: €10
- Maximum bonus amount: €500
- Wagering requirements: x27 (deposit + bonus)
- Participating slots: Jungle Jim and the Lost Sphinx
- Bet per spin: €0,10
- Wagering requirements: x30 (bonus)
- Limit on withdrawing from the free spins: x10
- 7 days for wagering
Wagering limitation:
- 7 days for wagering
- Player from certain countries are not allowed use bonuses due to regular bonus abuse, check the casino's website for the ever changing up to date list.
- Please note that the free spins will appear on the account, once the 150% bonus has been wagered. Your players will get 10 free spins per day over the course of 5 days (50 free spins in total).
UPDATE COVID-19: The online casino does not use the global pandemic situation for advertisement purposes, or to encourage the usage of its online gambling platform. In fact, it's forbidden to use the namesake, name, likeness and official logo or any depiction of the casino/company (and this casino gambling blog) in conjunction with any marketing campaign, which uses the novel coronavirus pandemic for promotion.
Mr Bit Casino does not accept players from:
Bingo in Zimbabwe
Online Bingo in Zimbabwe: legal, require a licence
The following bingo websites accept players from Zimbabwe:
I couldn’t find any bingo site that would accept players from Zimbabwe. If you know of any, please let me know in the comments section. Thank you.
Poker in Zimbabwe
Online Poker in Zimbabwe: legal, require license, just the same as other types of gambling
The Lotteries and Gaming Act of Zimbabwe gives a legal definition for “game”, that is quite broad: “any game, irrespective of whether or not its result is determined by luck…”. This, above all means, that it does not make a distinction between games based merely on luck, and Poker, which is, in many countries recognized as, at least partially, a game of skill.
Therefore, gaming facilities, that have Poker tables need a legit licence to operate in Zimbabwe and some of the major casinos in the country do offer Poker to their customers.
However, online Poker, again, is not directly regulated, therefore it is considered legal. Which is well reflected in the wide range of foreign online casinos, that do accept players from Zimbabwe.
The following online poker sites accept players from Zimbabwe.
The following online casino websites have poker and accept players from Zimbabwe:
Mr Bit Casino and Sportsbook
Mr. Bit casino & bookmaker, current 2022 bonus offers, welcome bonus, free spins and offers for returning players, 18+
- 100% welcome bonus Up To €500 + 50 Free Spins
- Free spins every day for returning players
- 33% reload bonus for returning players
You can read the full review of Mr Bit casino here. USA and UK players are not accepted. Full list of banned countries can be found in the review and below.
Playthrough requirements, wagering limitations, terms and conditions and list of restricted countries
General bonus terms and conditions at Mr. Bit and its sister sites:
- welcome bonuses are only available for 30 days after account creation
- the minimum deposit to receive any bonus is €10
- the bonus + deposit needs to be wagered within 7 days from date of activation
Playthrough requirement of the welcome bonus: 27x, the deposit bonus amount must be wagered 27 times before withdrawal. Playthrough requirement of the free spins: 30x, the deposit bonus amount must be wagered 30 times before withdrawal.
Playthrough requirement: No playthrough requirement for the extra weekly money. In case of the welcome bonus:
- Minimum deposit amount: €10
- Maximum bonus amount: €500
- Wagering requirements: x27 (deposit + bonus)
- Participating slots: Jungle Jim and the Lost Sphinx
- Bet per spin: €0,10
- Wagering requirements: x30 (bonus)
- Limit on withdrawing from the free spins: x10
- 7 days for wagering
Wagering limitation:
- 7 days for wagering
- Player from certain countries are not allowed use bonuses due to regular bonus abuse, check the casino's website for the ever changing up to date list.
- Please note that the free spins will appear on the account, once the 150% bonus has been wagered. Your players will get 10 free spins per day over the course of 5 days (50 free spins in total).
UPDATE COVID-19: The online casino does not use the global pandemic situation for advertisement purposes, or to encourage the usage of its online gambling platform. In fact, it's forbidden to use the namesake, name, likeness and official logo or any depiction of the casino/company (and this casino gambling blog) in conjunction with any marketing campaign, which uses the novel coronavirus pandemic for promotion.
Mr Bit Casino does not accept players from:
Sports Betting in Zimbabwe
Online sports Betting in Zimbabwe: legal, requires a licence, extremely popular form of gambling in Zimbabwe
Sports betting in Zimbabwe is grown as big as to become almost a kind of national pastime over the past few years, largely, due to the huge unemployment rates (estimated, around 85-90%). Sports betting has shifted from a hobby to being a legit source of income for many in Zimbabwe.
Historically, horse betting was the most popular form of sports betting. Most of the betting was going on in Borrowdale Park, the country’s only horse racing pitch and on local greyhound races. But with the launch of Zimbet, a popular betting shop in Harehare in the mid-2000’s, the interest quickly shifted towards football.
Betting is regulated and running a betting shop requires a licence, but it is perfectly legal in possession of one,.
/Although, according to Bloomberg*, the Zimbabwean government seized to award further licenses, in an attempt to limit the surge of gambling, betting and lottery in Zimbabwe./
The number of betting sites on co.zw domains is also increasing. They accept bets on horse and greyhound racing, cricket, football etc. However, due to the low internet penetration, punters in Zimbabwe largely prefer the brick-and-mortar shops, but placing bets with foreign online bookmakers is legal – if they have acquired a license from the government.
Unlicensed sites are not directly regulated either.
The online sportsbooks below accept registrations from Zimbabwe.
The following online sportsbooks accept bettors from Zimbabwe:
Mr Bit Casino and Sportsbook
Mr. Bit casino & bookmaker, current 2022 bonus offers, welcome bonus, free spins and offers for returning players, 18+
- 100% welcome bonus Up To €500 + 50 Free Spins
- Free spins every day for returning players
- 33% reload bonus for returning players
You can read the full review of Mr Bit casino here. USA and UK players are not accepted. Full list of banned countries can be found in the review and below.
Playthrough requirements, wagering limitations, terms and conditions and list of restricted countries
General bonus terms and conditions at Mr. Bit and its sister sites:
- welcome bonuses are only available for 30 days after account creation
- the minimum deposit to receive any bonus is €10
- the bonus + deposit needs to be wagered within 7 days from date of activation
Playthrough requirement of the welcome bonus: 27x, the deposit bonus amount must be wagered 27 times before withdrawal. Playthrough requirement of the free spins: 30x, the deposit bonus amount must be wagered 30 times before withdrawal.
Playthrough requirement: No playthrough requirement for the extra weekly money. In case of the welcome bonus:
- Minimum deposit amount: €10
- Maximum bonus amount: €500
- Wagering requirements: x27 (deposit + bonus)
- Participating slots: Jungle Jim and the Lost Sphinx
- Bet per spin: €0,10
- Wagering requirements: x30 (bonus)
- Limit on withdrawing from the free spins: x10
- 7 days for wagering
Wagering limitation:
- 7 days for wagering
- Player from certain countries are not allowed use bonuses due to regular bonus abuse, check the casino's website for the ever changing up to date list.
- Please note that the free spins will appear on the account, once the 150% bonus has been wagered. Your players will get 10 free spins per day over the course of 5 days (50 free spins in total).
UPDATE COVID-19: The online casino does not use the global pandemic situation for advertisement purposes, or to encourage the usage of its online gambling platform. In fact, it's forbidden to use the namesake, name, likeness and official logo or any depiction of the casino/company (and this casino gambling blog) in conjunction with any marketing campaign, which uses the novel coronavirus pandemic for promotion.
Mr Bit Casino does not accept players from:
Lottery in Zimbabwe
Online lottery in Zimbabwe: legal, requires licence, there’s also state lottery
Lottery in Zimbabwe falls under the scope of the same act regulating all other forms of gambling in the country. It also regulates all “schemes or arrangements known as lotto and scratch-card“, which, more than likely, include Keno as well. The State of Zimbabwe operates a State Lottery game, since 1935 and they also offer other kinds of instant win games, scratch cards.
The regulation doesn’t specifically deal with online lottery, or online Keno, but as a Zimbabwe based online lottery site operates with a licence, it suggests, that the legal status is in fact the same. The only Zimbabwe-based online lottery platform, Africabet.co.zw was launched last year, (also has an Android app) offers types of lottery and instant win games, sports betting and also online scratch cards.
The following websites allow people from Zimbabwe to purchase lottery tickets online:
Online lottery
List of restricted countries
Bitcoin Gambling in Zimbabwe
Bitcoin Gambling in Zimbabwe: not specifically regulated
Bitcoin, to this point, has a reputation of largely being a plaything of hackers, people conducting illicit activities online and the wealthy technically inclined. Zimbabwe, with its less than 50% internet penetration and above 80% of unemployment is not a likely a country where Bitcoin gambling would be popular (although, a Zimbabwean lawyer Simba Machiridza has written a white paper* on the futuristic concept of Bitcoin being a viable alternative to the country’s current monetary framework).
The Lotteries and Gaming Act doesn’t regulate online casinos in general, and as expected, no specific word in it on Bitcoin casinos either. That means, they’re legal as long as they have a license and Bitcoin casinos not licensed in Zimbabwe specifically are not directly regulated.
The bitcoin casinos below accept players from Zimbabwe.
*Source: http://www.livebitcoinnews.com/zimbabwe-a-bitcoin-friendly-market/
The following online casino websites accept bitcoin, litecoin and ethereum, and accept players from Zimbabwe:
888 Casino, Poker, Bingo and Sportsbook
888 online gambling: casino games, poker, bingo & bookmaker, current 2022 promos, UK players accepted (no USA)
- €1500 welcome bonus package, promo code: WELCOME1
USA players are not accepted, but UK players are accepted. Full list of banned countries can be found in the drop down menu below. All in one gambling destination with poker, sports betting, live dealer games, bingo and over 1000 casino games, all accessibe with one players account (but on separate platforms). You can read the review of 888 Casino here.
Playthrough requirements, wagering limitations, terms and conditions and list of restricted countries
General bonus terms and conditions at the 888 gambling websites:
- welcome bonuses are only available for new players
- bonuses are available in US Dollars, GBP, Euros or Canadian Dollars
- the minimum deposit to receive any bonus is €10
- the bonus + deposit needs to be wagered within 7 days from date of activation
Playthrough requirement of the welcome bonus: 30x, the deposit bonus amount must be wagered 30 times before withdrawal. Playthrough requirement of the free spins: no free spins currently, free spins expire after 14 days
Wagering limitation:
Game type: | Contribution: |
Video slots & other types of slots, Scratch cards, Keno, Race, Arcade, Dice (and all other types of games not specifically mentioned below) | 100% |
Pai Gow, Caribbean Poker, Triple Card Poker and other kinds of table poker | 20% |
Blackjack, Roulette, Baccarat, Live casino games, Video poker | 10% |
Craps | 5% |
UPDATE COVID-19: The online casino does not use the global pandemic situation for advertisement purposes, or to encourage the usage of its online gambling platform. In fact, it's forbidden to use the namesake, name, likeness and official logo or any depiction of the casino/company (and this casino gambling blog) in conjunction with any marketing campaign, which uses the novel coronavirus pandemic for promotion.
888 Casino does not accept players from:
This page is part of Simon’s List – Legal Status of Online Gambling – a definitive guide to the legal status of all forms of online gambling activities in every country around the world.
Last updated: 2021-01-15
Gamble responsibly,
SimonTheSorcerer
That's me, Simon, thank you for visiting. I'm an independent gambling blogger since 2012. In this sector dominated by huge media companies, casino operators and online marketing networks, who can easily spend $ millions on their online gambling blogs, it's not easy for an independent nobody like me to survive. It took me about 6 years, working my ass off, to even have a chance to be noticed by visitors like you. I'm lucky enough that for a few years now, I make enough money to be able to do this full time (before that, I had part-time jobs, ghost writing gigs, online marketing this and that). Now I can finally do this full time, thanks to visitors like you! And it means a lot! If you are interested, please bookmark this site (no social media profiles, I no longer have any, but please feel free to share anything on any social media networks, if you still use them). I don't have any money to advertise, and if you have a personal blog, any social media profile, please mention my gambling blog and link back to it. This the only way for a small website like this to grow. Thank you! |
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My quesion is regarding mobile sport betting apps in Zimbabwe and the legality thereof? do they need licensing?
Yes, of course, it’s online sports betting, and therefore it needs an online sports betting licence.
Detailed information