2020 has been a year like no other. Casinos had to temporarily close their doors as attempts were made to reduce the number of infections. High Street bookmaker shops and pubs were also forced to close, so the chance to gamble on their roulette and slot machines was lost. This includes areas such as financial security, payment methods and bonuses, so a trip to a site such as roulettesites.org can be very helpful indeed. The Coronavirus pandemic has affected all of us in some way. We can but hope that the upcoming vaccines will lead us to a better future. The pandemic has affected the gambling industry without question but just how have the best online casino sites fared this year?
Thank heavens therefore for the internet where players can enjoy trying their luck on casino games 24/7. A market study held in April 2020, showed that 87% of UK online consumers were spending more time online.
Once you’ve finished the latest box set or mastered that video game, spending some time gambling online filled a few more hours. This hasn’t just been the case for regular gamblers but newcomers who discovered online gambling would keep them entertained.
This has included a growth in online bingo. Those aged over 70 are particularly showing an interest in online casinos. With the local bingo hall closed, being able to play the game in the safety of their own home has proved to be a popular pastime. The casino sites didn’t just benefit because of the closure of bricks and mortar casinos. This Coronavirus pandemic has also greatly affected the sporting world. March in particular saw a whole host of sporting leagues around the world suspended.
This led to those used to betting on top sports with a greatly reduced set of events to bet on. The search for something to bet on suddenly switched from placing wagers on soccer, basketball, and tennis to trying to get wins on the roulette wheel and games such as blackjack and poker.
If you are a big fan of roulette and want to join an online casino, do some homework first. It’s important to find out as much as you can about them. There has been a significant increase in the amount being taken by online sites. The UK Gambling Commission reported that figures for March 2020 (when lockdown was imposed) were £186m, up £24m from March in the previous year. The pandemic has changed the way in which many people gamble. Those who were used to going to their local casinos, suddenly found that wasn’t possible. With the number of cases rising, the word ‘lockdown’ became part of our vocabulary.
There were concerns that this might lead to a rise in those who have problems with their gambling. However, as long as responsible gambling is practiced, there isn’t a problem visiting online casino sites.
The online gambling industry is a highly competitive one. That has intensified this year as new customers come along due to the pandemic. Online gambling sites saw how their sportsbooks were being affected, so began to publicize their online casinos more. The use of attractive welcome offers and regular promotions has this aim.
As the lockdowns eased, online casinos needed those regular promotions to keep hold of their new customers. However, it soon became apparent that even with the casinos re-opening, many people stayed online feeling a great deal safer.
The end of the first lockdown did produce a drop in the incomes being generated by online casinos, though still just above the pre-lockdown figures.
Online poker has had a profitable year. As the casinos and pubs closed, players went online to indulge in their favorite game. The number of mentions of ‘online’ and ‘poker’ on Twitter between March 24 and April 3, rose 149% compared to the previous fortnight.
There was a big revenue increase for online poker and even after lockdown ended, figures were still higher than beforehand. Playing poker online is different from doing so in the local casino. Players have found new ways of playing the game such as speed poker and don’t want their online adventures to end anytime soon.
It was slot games that were the biggest winner though. ‘Online slots’ had three times as many searches as ‘online poker’ after lockdown began. Slot games dominate online casinos so that’s good news for them. Revenue has fallen from the highs of the summer but are still a lot higher than at the start of 2020.
People like to gamble, they always have. This pandemic hasn’t affected that desire, it’s simply seen gamblers find different ways of indulging in their passion. The main worry online casinos have is how the financial woes the pandemic has caused will affect their business, but that’s another story for another year.
