As the global coronavirus pandemic continues to rumble on, the fallout is being felt in virtually every area of society, and many industries have been seriously shaken and forced to rethink their entire operational structure in order to survive.
Of course there are also industries that have blossomed in the wake of the changes and challenges thrown up by this international crisis, and with the growth of online casinos predicted for the foreseeable future, this is one area where the benefits are obvious.
So what has helped online casinos to flourish while their land-based counterparts floundered, and how is this likely to play out now that vaccine rollouts are ramping up and normality is returning in many regions?
A pandemic-proof niche?
It is difficult to imagine that any business ecosystem was immune to the advances of the pandemic that gained momentum throughout 2020, let alone one which actually thrived because of the circumstances that nationwide lockdowns and travel restrictions created.
However, this is exactly the scenario that the online casino industry encountered, and as millions of people were left stranded at home with no job to occupy their time, the appeal of being able to play poker, roulette, slots and more from a PC or mobile phone grew exponentially.
It is not just a case of existing online casino customers dedicating more time to their hobby of choice; the pandemic created the perfect storm in which vast numbers of complete newcomers were given the opportunity to experience what this industry has to offer for the first time. And while some of these fresh faces were immediate hardcore converts, asking what is a high roller and how to become one, many more were happy to gamble casually from the comfort of their homes, mixing this in with other hobbies to pass the hours when there was little else to do.
A helping hand for old-school casinos
As already hinted at, while online casinos were raking in the cash during the peak of the pandemic, their bricks and mortar counterparts were left high and dry. And even when some were able to re-open their doors, it was only possible with drastically reduced capacities and other compromises made in the name of customer safety, leaving operators with much higher running costs and unavoidably lower takings.
Thankfully the relationship between online and offline casinos is a lot stronger than you might think, especially in certain parts of the globe where regulations effectively make this unavoidable.
In the US, for example, states where online gambling has been legalized in recent years have requirements in place which mean that every web-based brand has to be owned and run by a land-based casino. Originally this tie-in was implemented to ensure that gambling sites were more accountable and easier to monitor, but in the context of the pandemic it gave bricks and mortar venues a valuable financial lifeline.
This arrangement is not universally implemented, yet it is one which is common enough worldwide to mean that the mutually beneficial relationship between online and old-school casinos was strengthened and justified in one fell swoop by the events brought about by COVID-19.
A long term change in habits
Another important thing to mention with regards to the pandemic’s impact on the online casino industry is that the sudden uptick in web-based gambling during the initial period of lockdowns and restrictions on movement was not just a flash in the pan. Instead, it was an opportunity to garner a broader customer base for this type of entertainment, one which has stuck around to continue playing and enjoying casino sites even as the more severe responses to the crisis have been rolled back.
Industry analysts and insiders alike are confident that the people who had never tried out online casinos until the pandemic began will now remain interested in continuing with this pastime, rather than ditching it now that they can eat out in restaurants, go to the movies and socialize with friends again.
So ultimately the pandemic gave online casinos a once in a generation opportunity to connect with customers, and operators are not going to let this momentum go to waste.
Of course it is worth noting that online casinos were already in rude health even before COVID-19 arrived, and doubtlessly would have continued to thrive without it. It is simply also true that the pandemic has catalyzed their rise to mainstream prominence and shaken up the broader entertainment market as a result.
