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Betting Brands may Shift Focus from Sports to Casino Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
COVID-19 has shaken up the world. No one and no business has been left unaffected by the virus, and that includes the betting industry. Land-based casino and betting shops have especially felt the impact of the novel coronavirus, which has forced these establishments to close to help stop the spread of the disease. Even the biggest sports betting brands in the UK have suffered online and offline from the widescale suspension, postponement or cancellation of major sporting events.
There’s no question that as far as the gambling industry is concerned, brick and mortar betting shops and casinos have taken the hardest hit, with one of the worst cases being in Nevada, which shut down every casino on its famous Las Vegas strip back in mid-March. Nevada depends on tourism more than any other U.S. state and is used to catering to tens of millions of visitors annually. Unemployment rates are expected to go up by a minimum of 30% in the state, according to the Nevada Resort Association. This has left many to wonder and worry if Vegas’ big names like Wynn Resorts, MGM Resorts, and Sand Crop. will survive the virus’ economic impact, even with help from the financial relief plan.
That said, the closures caused by the coronavirus have been felt across the industry. For instance, the impact on big groups like GVC has resulted in the company taking steps to do what it can to alleviate the strain that has been placed on its operations. Like other companies, GVC has been working hard to lower costs and re-prioritize activity to preserve free cash while making sure its customers continue to be able to enjoy great experiences. Among these re-prioritisations has been reducing the amount spent on sports content, online sports marketing, and trading costs.
Photo source: Shutterstock
Even online Sportsbook is not Immune to Coronavirus
Naturally, the online gambling industry has a massive advantage over its land-based counterparts. No one needs to social distance online and gambling can be enjoyed safely from home 24/7 via a computer or mobile, whether one is self-isolating or in full quarantine. However, in spite of this fact, online sportsbooks continue to find it a challenge to make the most of the internet advantage.
With no active mainstream sports, online bookies have been forced to fill the void with more emphasis on the virtual world of sports, including animated versions of major horse races like the Grand National, which was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Virtual Grand National, like other virtual races, was a computer-simulated race. It included virtual spectators and virtual ambulances that followed the runners and riders around the courses.
Beyond virtual sports, digital bookmakers have also placed greater focus on eSports as well as other lesser known events. Still, even with the focus on these other events, all online bookmakers have seen a dramatic decline in depositors and increased churn rates because it is simply far too difficult to retain players when the major sports betting markets are at a standstill.
Many of the big name gambling operators have watched the value of their shares suffer from the COVID-19 outbreak. Some of these include:
- William Hill shares have dropped by more than half since the 21st of February 2020
- GVC Holdings (owner of Ladbrokes Coral) has seen a drop in share prices by more than 20%
- Flutter Entertainment (owner of Paddy Power Betfair) has seen its share value tank by over 15%
Sportsbooks May Shift their Focus to Online Casinos
Online casinos, which offer online slots, virtual table, and card games, scratch cards, live casino games, etc. are in much better shape than their sportsbook cousins and that’s because they don’t depend on sports or other major events to continue carrying on with business as usual.
As such, many bookies that also offer a casino platform may consider cross-selling their online casino products to their existing sports betting customers in an attempt to recoup some of the money they’ve lost. This tactic could work as bored housebound punters, who previously focused solely on sports, can be keener to engage in casino entertainment until they can bet on their favorite football matches or horse races again.
Since March, COVID-19 has shut down most economies and sent more than a billion people into lockdown. Like many other businesses considered non-essential, land-based gambling establishments have closed their doors until the outbreak and restrictions ease. While only time will tell how well gambling operators will fare once the worst of the pandemic has run its course, for now, all they can do is focus on their online operations and survive as best they can. For some, online casinos could potentially provide the life raft they need to stay afloat.
FairPlay Sports Media
FairPlay Sports Media Launches ‘Customer Insights’, Delivering Objective Truth on Bettor Sentiment
FairPlay Sports Media (FPSM), a leading sports media and BetTech network, has unveiled FairPlay Customer Insights, a continuously updated commercial decision-making engine built exclusively for UK betting operators.
Powered by a verified panel of over 1,000 active UK bettors, the self-serve dashboard gives operators instant, objective visibility into brand perception, product feature popularity, and competitive performance.
“A major challenge operators face today is understanding exactly why bettors switch apps,” said Jerome Underhill, Chief Operating Officer at FairPlay Sports Media. “Traditional market research is often too slow, expensive, and disconnected from day-to-day commercial decisions. FairPlay Customer Insights was built as a real-time decision-making engine, providing product teams with clarity on how core features—like their Bet Builder—compare to the competition, while helping media teams pinpoint the triggers that convert transient bonus users into loyal, long-term players.”
The platform updates quarterly to track trends over time and includes ‘flash research’ capabilities, enabling operators to submit custom queries to the panel ahead of major events such as the upcoming World Cup. This feature helps operators de-risk campaign planning with actionable insights.
FairPlay is currently onboarding a select group of operators for a 30-day Phase 1 Proof of Concept, offering company-wide access to validate the platform’s intelligence against operational challenges.
The post FairPlay Sports Media Launches ‘Customer Insights’, Delivering Objective Truth on Bettor Sentiment appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Gamzix
iGP Integrates Gamzix into iGaming Aggregator
iGP, the full-service B2B iGaming solutions provider, has integrated Gamzix into its casino aggregator, iGaming Aggregator, further strengthening the content available to operators through the platform.
Gamzix is a Maltese game provider with over five years of iGaming experience and an MGA licence. Known for its mobile-first, engagement-driven titles, the studio develops games designed to perform across diverse markets and player segments.
Through the integration, Gamzix titles are now available to operators via iGaming Aggregator, which offers more than 12,000 games from leading providers through a single API. Designed to move beyond traditional aggregation models, the solution enables operators to launch quickly while maintaining control through multi-brand management, embedded promotional tools, a built-in reporting suite and real-time data visibility.
Jovana Popovic Canaki, CEO at iGP, said: “Operators face constant pressure to scale faster while maintaining control across brands, content, and player engagement. iGaming Aggregator addresses this by combining high speed distribution with built in tools and real time visibility. Integrating Gamzix further strengthens the range of titles available to our partners.”
James Davies, Head of Commercial at Gamzix, added: “iGP’s focus on speed, control, and scalability aligns perfectly with how we approach distribution and long-term performance. We’re excited to bring our mobile-first, engagement-driven titles to more partners through this collaboration.”
The post iGP Integrates Gamzix into iGaming Aggregator appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Australia
NSW: More Than 650 Gaming Machine Exemptions Revoked to Address Gambling Harm
The Minns Labor Government continues to reduce gambling harm by delivering on its commitment to remove outdated exemptions that enabled more than 650 pubs and clubs to operate gaming machines during standard shutdown hours.
Following an announcement in December by the Minister for Gaming and Racing David Harris that exemptions would cease from 31 March 2026, more than 650 venues will be required from 1 April to shut down all gaming machines between 4am to 10am each day, in line with NSW standard shutdown hours.
The six-hour shutdown is a harm minimisation measure intended to provide players with an important break in play.
Of the 672 venues with a varied shutdown period, usually for three hours instead of six, many have been in place for more than 20 years. These were given for reasons including being in high traffic ‘tourist’ locations, a history of earlier opening hours or financial hardship.
Venues that believed they had a strong case to keep their exemptions under the legislation and the revised Ministerial Guidelines, had the opportunity to put their case to Liquor & Gaming NSW.
As of 24 March 2026, 649 have been revoked by Liquor & Gaming NSW under delegation from the Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority and 10 by the Authority itself. Thirteen venues remain under assessment. All venues will be considered and an outcome communicated by 31 March 2026.
Sixty-two venues applied to keep their exemptions. Of the 49 applications assessed so far, all have been revoked.
Liquor & Gaming NSW will undertake a compliance campaign after 1 April when the new requirements come into effect, to ensure all venues are abiding by the changes.
A Review of Gaming Machine Shutdown Hours Framework conducted by Liquor & Gaming NSW in 2024 found that a minimum six-hour shutdown period, commencing no later than 4am, is effective at minimising gambling harm.
The move continues a suite of gaming reforms which the Minns Government has implemented since coming into office, including:
• Reducing the cash input limit from $5000 to $500 for all new gaming machines
• Reducing the state-wide cap on gaming machine entitlements, so that every year the number of gaming machines reduces based on forfeiture rates
• Banning political donations from clubs with electronic gaming machines
• Banning external gaming-related signage and internal gaming-related signage that can be seen from outside the venue
• Introducing Responsible Gambling Officers in venues with more than 20 gaming machine entitlements and mandating that extra Responsible Gambling Officers be on duty in venues after midnight
• Mandating that all venues with gaming machines must keep a Gaming Plan of Management and a Gambling Incident Register
• Banning gambling advertising on public transport and the ferries and terminals people catch it from
• Consulting with the community on a third-party exclusion scheme and use of mandatory facial recognition technology to support a statewide exclusion register for NSW hotels and clubs with gaming machines
Launching a NSW-first code of practice for the use of facial recognition in pubs and clubs that use the technology, following full consultation with a wide range of stakeholders including harm minimisation advocates, the NSW Privacy Commissioner and industry.
Minister for Gaming and Racing David Harris said: “The Minns Labor Government takes gambling harm minimisation seriously and that’s why I called for a review of the gaming machine variations back in December that has removed outdated exemptions that enabled more than 650 pubs and clubs to operate gaming machines during standard shutdown hours.
“Following months of review, it was clear these variations enabling about 20 per cent of clubs and pubs with gaming machines to operate outside of the mandated hours, some of which were more than 20 years old, were no longer fit for purpose.
“To enable variations to be revoked, I updated the Ministerial Guidelines and set up a streamlined process for venues to make their case if they wished to keep their variation, and to allow for a transition period.
“These changes are expected to prevent and reduce gambling harm.
“The NSW Government will continue to deliver evidence-based reforms to ensure we are striking the balance of addressing gambling harm while supporting sustainable development of an industry that employs more than 150,000 people in NSW and injects billions into the economy.”
The post NSW: More Than 650 Gaming Machine Exemptions Revoked to Address Gambling Harm appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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