Latest News

Prostrate Travel and Tourism Sector & Legal Restraints to Challenge Growth Even as Casinos Reopen

Published

6 years ago

July 28, 2020

George Miller

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The “Casinos – Global Market Trajectory & Analytics” report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com’s offering.

While the pandemic and lockdowns have largely benefitted the gaming industry, the gambling sector has been less lucky faced with a tepid outlook and a mixed bag of opportunities and challenges. With 74.6% of revenues coming from the offline brick and motor sector, the closure of entertainment centers and casinos as part of the lockdowns imposed in 1st Q 2020 impacted revenues and profitability for companies. The global market for casinos is expected to decline by 10.8% in the year 2020. The abrupt halting of economic activity has pushed businesses across all industries into financial distress. Sudden fall in revenues and profits as a result of demand disruptions has resulted in workforce pruning and layoffs. Unemployment rates have hit never-before highs with the US topping the charts with 12.5% unemployed as a % of total labor force. Social outlook against this background remains grim with households expected witness erosion in wealth. Personal financial outlook, community, economy, job security confidence, purchasing and investment confidence are all tumbling as the human and economic cost of the global pandemic rises. While brick and motor casinos stagnate, online casinos are faring better although limited by lower discretionary spending. The increase in spending is coming largely from gaming addicts and from consumer clusters spending more on online retail and entertainment during the pandemic.

Even as casinos begin to reopen as lockdowns are cautiously eased in countries worldwide, they face the challenge of falling consumer confidence and spending and the still prostrate travel and tourism sector. In Las Vegas for instance which is the gambling Mecca of the world, millions of tourists and visitors make up for the large customer base at casinos. Gaming operators from Macau to Las Vegas are all anticipating a rough restart after gaming properties are allowed to reopen. In Macau, a few gaming properties have reopened but could not see desirable outcomes. In gambling destinations such as Parisian Macao, Venetian Macao, Sands Cotai Central, Wynn Palace, City of Dreams, Galaxy Macau, MGM Cotai, Grand Lisboa, MGC Macau, Star World and Wynn Macau, customer turnover still remains low. During pre-COVID-19 times, each of those casinos attracted around 200 thousand visitors every day. This extreme drop in visitor numbers is due to stringent border restrictions being followed since the month of March. Limited options for transportation and quarantine rules make it difficult for players to visit gambling destinations. With the global economy now in recession, recovery will be delayed further. Although online casinos are well suited for safe indulgence in gambling in the midst of a pandemic situation, this sector is still fledging and is plagued with legality issues. Online casinos are illegal in most parts of the United States and in countries where online casinos are legal confusion over legal boundaries of betting and gambling is a chief restraint to growth. Underdevelopment online funds transfer platforms also adds another layer of challenge to growth. In younger markets like the U.S. and Asian countries where digital prize money disbursement platforms are still underdeveloped, the challenge is bigger and more difficult to overcome. In Europe, the region with a well-developed online and offline gambling infrastructure, casino owners are innovating in digital payments by using digital wallet services to transfer funds to customers.

A return to complete normalcy will begin only after barriers to access gaming destinations are completely removed. The market is projected to reach US$159.3 billion by the year 2027, trailing a CAGR of3.7%. Offline Casinos, one of the segments analyzed in the report, is projected to grow at a 3.4% CAGR to reach US$116.3 million by the end of the analysis period. Few of the factors expected to drive growth in the post pandemic period include migration from cards to crypto currency gambling; continued evolution of online casinos supported by rapid proliferation of mobile devices and growing penetration of smart phones and tablets; development of supplicated gambling apps; growing participation of women in casinos; resurgence in casino tourism; relaxation in gambling regulations and legalization of gambling in several nations given their contribution to national income and development of local tourism.

Key Topics Covered:

I. INTRODUCTION, METHODOLOGY & REPORT SCOPE

II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1. MARKET OVERVIEW

2. FOCUS ON SELECT PLAYERS

3. MARKET TRENDS & DRIVERS

4. GLOBAL MARKET PERSPECTIVE

III. MARKET ANALYSIS

IV. COMPETITION

Companies Mentioned

888 Holdings Plc
Betfair Group Plc
Boyd Gaming Corporation
Caesars Interactive Entertainment, Inc.
Dover Downs Gaming & Entertainment Inc
Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd.
Golden Nugget Atlantic City
Harrington Raceway & Casino
Ladbrokes Coral Group Plc
Las Vegas Sands Corporation
Mgm Resorts International
Penn National Gaming
Sjm Holdings Ltd.
William Hill Plc
Wynn Resorts Limited

BETANO

Betano named FIFA World Cup 2026 Tournament Supporter for Europe and South America

Published

13 minutes ago

May 18, 2026

Wladimir P.

betano-named-fifa-world-cup-2026-tournament-supporter-for-europe-and-south-america

Betano has been named an Official Tournament Supporter of the FIFA World Cup 2026 for Europe and South America under a new partnership between FIFA and Kaizen Gaming’s lead brand. The tournament will be held across Canada, Mexico and the United States from Thursday, 11 June until Sunday, 19 July.

The agreement is the third collaboration between Betano and FIFA. Betano previously joined as an Official Regional Supporter of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 for Europe and was later announced as an Official Partner of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.

“We are delighted to welcome Betano among the Tournament Supporters of the FIFA World Cup 2026,” said FIFA’s Chief Business Officer, Romy Gai.

“Partnering with FIFA for the third time is a proud milestone for everyone at Kaizen Gaming and a clear reflection of our global evolution,” added George Daskalakis, co-founder and CEO of Kaizen Gaming.

Kaizen Gaming said Betano will run physical and digital fan engagement activations in Europe and South America around the tournament, and will offer responsible gaming tools including financial limits, time management features and 24/7 customer support.

The post Betano named FIFA World Cup 2026 Tournament Supporter for Europe and South America appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

chess

S8UL’s Aravindh Chithambaram qualifies for Esports World Cup 2026 chess event

Published

13 minutes ago

May 18, 2026

Wladimir P.

s8ul’s-aravindh-chithambaram-qualifies-for-esports-world-cup-2026-chess-event

S8UL’s Grandmaster Aravindh Chithambaram has qualified for the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 Chess main event after winning the Road to EWC qualifier at DreamHack Atlanta, according to the organization. S8UL said the result makes him the first Indian player to secure qualification for the Chess main event.

The qualifier used a group stage and playoffs format, with two games per series and Armageddon as the tiebreaker, played at 10 minutes with no increment. Aravindh advanced from Group B into the Upper Bracket semifinals after wins over Kyler Raines, Justin Liang, Oleksander Bortnyk, and Christopher Woo.

In the Upper Bracket semifinals, Aravindh beat Woo 2-1 after two draws and an Armageddon decider. He then defeated Alexey Sarana 2-1 in the Upper Bracket Final to reach the grand final, where he faced Sarana again. S8UL said the grand final used a double-match format, and after Sarana won the opening two games from the Lower Bracket side, Aravindh came back to win the Armageddon decider to take the qualifier.

The win earned the 26-year-old USD 15,000 (~INR 14 lakh) and one of the eight qualification slots confirmed so far for the EWC 2026 Chess main event, scheduled for August 11 to 15 with a USD 1.5 million (~INR 14 crore) prize pool. S8UL said it is now qualified for three EWC 2026 titles, following Fortnite and Honor of Kings.

“Qualifying for the Esports World Cup this year is a very proud and exciting moment for me, especially with so many top players and organizations from around the world competing at the event. This particular format leaves very little room for error, as every decision matters when you are playing 10-minute games without increment against some of the strongest players in the world. I am also very grateful to the team at S8UL for their consistent support and belief in me since last year. Their approach towards chess and nurturing Indian talent has been incredibly encouraging, and I am looking forward to representing the organization and giving my best at the main event” Chithambaram said.

S8UL added that fellow Grandmasters Nihal Sarin and Pranesh M remain in contention to qualify for EWC 2026 Chess via the Champions Chess Tour Leaderboard, Last Chance Qualifiers, and an India Rising slot scheduled to conclude on July 5. “One of the things we’ve consistently focused on at S8UL is creating opportunities for Indian talent to compete and succeed on the biggest global stages. Aravindh Chithambaram qualifying for the Esports World Cup is a huge moment, not just for us as an organization, but for Indian chess overall. The level of competition and pressure in this format is extremely high, which makes this achievement even more special. We’ve always believed India has the talent to stand alongside the very best in the world, and seeing Aravindh become the first Indian to qualify really reinforces that belief,” said Animesh Agarwal, Co-founder and CEO, S8UL Esports.

The post S8UL’s Aravindh Chithambaram qualifies for Esports World Cup 2026 chess event appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Casino Guru

Casino Guru Awards 2026 set for May 25 in Malta ahead of NEXT Valletta

Published

13 minutes ago

May 18, 2026

Wladimir P.

casino-guru-awards-2026-set-for-may-25-in-malta-ahead-of-next-valletta

Casino Guru will hold the Casino Guru Awards 2026 on May 25 at Xara Lodge in Malta, ahead of the NEXT Valletta conference. The organiser said the event will recognise companies, initiatives and individuals tied to fairness, player protection and ethical business practices in online gambling.

According to Casino Guru, the awards are positioned differently from typical industry programmes by prioritising “measurable impact and long-term commitment” rather than brand scale or marketing reach.

“The Casino Guru Awards are about recognizing the people and companies that genuinely prioritize players and contribute to a healthier industry,” said Daniela Sliva, PR & Creative Projects Director at Casino Guru. “As we approach the event, we’re excited to celebrate the efforts that often happen behind the scenes but have a real impact on the future of iGaming.”

Casino Guru said around 150 guests are expected to attend, with winners to be announced across multiple categories during an evening programme that also includes networking, dining and an afterparty.

The post Casino Guru Awards 2026 set for May 25 in Malta ahead of NEXT Valletta appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.