The coronavirus affects most things in society, not least the gaming companies, which are already affected by reduced revenue. This applies primarily to the gaming companies that offer sports betting, as many sports events have or will be cancelled in the coming months. However, the casino industry is not affected as much, especially since the casino games do not depend on external events to be current.
A difficult time for sport betting sites
The number of sports events that can be wagered has suddenly decreased drastically. A solution to the viral crisis does not appear to be insight in the next month either, which means that all summer sports events will probably be postponed or postponed in the future. This is a dilemma for all the betting companies that offer sports betting, and of course, it creates problems in several ways. The range of games decreases, while the gaming companies’ revenues do not reach the expected goals at all.
However, we can expect an increase in e-sports, which can often be at least as exciting as classic sporting events. It is also conceivable that virtual sports betting will increase in popularity while players wait for the usual range of odds to recover.
Large gaming companies are dropping in value
The stock listed gaming companies, such as William Hill and GVC, are heavily affected by the Coronavirus. The lack of sports events and the postponing of the EURO 2020 and the Olympics has sent the share prices to the cellar. Even if we have seen some recent recoveries it is highly unlikely when the social limitations and close-downs are going to end, why there is a risk that shares will drop even more. This is especially true for companies focusing on sports betting and that have betting shops. Casino operators seem to have had a softer fall so far, mainly due to the possibilities to still play casino.
Online casino rolls on as usual
When it comes to online casino sites and games, however, we will not see any major changes. The gaming companies have rather noticed a slight increase in the number of casino players, which is probably because those who would otherwise have bet on sports instead choose to spin on slots or maybe play a game of roulette.
Since the gaming industry is already digital, it is also easy for the gaming companies to let the employees work from home, and thus the sites can be run just as usual. Of course, the only games that can be affected are the live games that are broadcast live from land-based casinos or game studios around the world.
Live casino being affected but is still operating
The largest provider of live games, Evolution Gaming, has been subject to closing down studios in both Spain and Georgia due to the Coronavirus, but have noticed a greater demand for the games than usual. So far Evolution Gaming can offer the live casino from other parts of the world, but should their operations in Riga be affected by governmental limitations also Evolution Gaming will suffer from the virus spreading.
The gaming vendors are also planning to work as before, and so far none of the major development studios has announced any delays in their upcoming launches. Their work can largely be done remotely, which means that the gaming companies will be getting new titles just as usual in the coming months.
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