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Following lockdown and the coronavirus people have become used to working remotely and from home. Entertainment has also gone online with remote restaurant ordering, home deliveries, movies and film online. The government is urging everyone to go back to the office but many feel that the effect is irreversible. People are mediating remotely and court hearings are remote.

We act as ADR provider for online gaming casino operators and have seen evidence of an increase in online gambling as well.

During this year’s periods of quarantine and lockdown, gambling activity has been a closely monitored metric for public health and wellbeing. Further controls were put on online gambling and betting providers assuming that house-bound at-risk players required added protection.

Since top-flight football returned with the German Bundesliga in mid-may and the Premier League in June, the UK Gambling Commission has reported a significant increase in online sports betting activity, triggering new concerns.

Gambling regulation has been an active issue in recent years, with legislation passed shortly after the new year putting new controls on both retail and online betting operators. This began with a sweeping ban on credit card deposits with online bookmakers and casinos, and continued with a reduction in the  stake limit in retail betting shops from £100 to £2. Strict regulation of bookmaker advertisements during COVID-19 put a further squeeze on the industry badly hit by the near universal postponement of all sports competitions.

According to TNT magazine:

”online gambling activity migrated from sports betting to casino during the worst months of the pandemic. Between May and June, however, the return of popular football leagues saw the number of bets increase by 146%, reflecting 255.5 million bets placed. The number of active players rose by 81% compared to April’s figures, and the gross gaming yield totalled at £217.5m. It is speculated that packed match schedules facilitated this sharp increase on top of the latent desire to bet.”

We consider that online gambling is likely to increase and betting shops are likely to decrease. There are now online Casinos available worldwide, including Canada. In Canada one such Online casino which is popular is https://www.casinochan.com/en-CA

With such a surge in sports betting other sectors in the gambling industry saw a complimentary fall. ESports betting fell dramatically, and the moment football resumed online poker dropped by 36%. A 10-15% decrease in online casino gaming was also seen, but even the highest gross yield figures cannot be compared to current revenues from football.

The Gambling Commission’s report has given fresh wind to legislators to push further regulations. Critics claim the report is misrepresentative and alarmist, maintaining that this spike should be considered alongside the dramatic decrease in retail betting that has remained to present. Nonetheless the UKGC has informed operators that requirements for player protection protocols will be raised in the future, and responsible gaming will be an even greater priority in the coming years.

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