Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Behavior of Gamblers

By  //  February 4, 2021

During the early 2020 lives of people all over the world started to change drastically. We had to stay indoors for far longer, we had to give up on traveling, and a lot of businesses were closed. COVID-19 brought strict quarantine measures, and in some countries, even curfew was imposed. 

Not all of the businesses were affected severely as a lot of companies could continue to function online, and working from home was just an inconvenience rather than a strong financial hit.

In other words, some of them did quite well, and even new trends emerged. Here we will focus on the casino and betting industry and see how their business was affected by the pandemic.

Sports betting during the pandemic 

Those who enjoy sports and sports betting were fairly disappointed with the situation caused by the outbreak. Considering how big gatherings were banned and sports events therefore canceled, the impact on this part of the industry was surely noticeable.

In the UK for example the majority of sports betting consists of placing wagers on football and horse racing, so 75% of bets were suddenly gone.

Luckily, online sports betting was not completely gone, and other games grew in popularity during this time. Some of the e-sports and video game competitions were still active, so betting on those games had been possible. Moreover, virtual sport and fantasy sports were not affected at all, and those who wanted to place wagers gave them a chance.

Casinos during pandemic

Considering how traveling and mass gatherings were forbidden or very limited, land-based casinos definitely felt the consequences of the pandemic. Furthermore, casinos were tied to the nightlife activities and most of the businesses had to be closed during that time, so even if a limited number of guests were allowed they could not play as much as they used to.

Bear in mind though that the casino industry as a whole actually did really well during the pandemic. This is because of the online casinos, which witnessed a significant spike in user growth.

It is worth mentioning that online gambling in Colorado and a lot of other countries and areas around the world became so popular that more land-based casinos began working on their online version.

One of the main advantages of online casinos is that they offer generous incentives and welcome bonuses for both new and old users. So, a lot of casino enthusiasts create multiple accounts across different platforms.

Another important factor here was the situation of people everywhere or massive boredom. As citizens all over the world were in quarantine, they were actively seeking ways to kill time, and that led them to give online gambling a try.

Given how they never played before,  Delaware online gambling guide and similar tips and tricks definitely came in handy. Young users were learning the rules and tactics for Blackjack and Poker, but also figuring out how sports betting works.

New policies

Even though both sports betting and casino games could successfully weather the COVID-19 crisis, the same could not be said for some of the users.

One of the challenges that online casinos face in general is regulating or promoting responsible gambling. A certain portion of users was playing for hours online, so some of the policies had to be updated. The reason why online casinos ask for a phone number during the signup process is that they are obligated to check on their users.

So, these measures became a bit stricter, and casinos have to check on their users if they are actively playing for an hour or more. This can be done via phone or a support chat feature, and they need to remind them to play responsibly.

Conclusion

Even though the pandemic was harsh and less forgiving towards certain lines of work, sports betting and casinos managed to keep a stable cash flow.

The real victims were those who enjoyed live events and live betting, as they had to spend a lot of time without participating in their favorite hobby. Those who enjoy betting online simply pivoted to other games that were available, like esports and virtual sports.

However, the whole socializing aspect of betting in a land-based establishment is gone, and that is what most betting enthusiasts are looking forward to, once the pandemic is over.