As the casinos lie closed, what is happening to their players?

As the world settles in for yet another week of quarantine, social distancing, and various other COVID-19 related restrictions we have become all too familiar with, the economic impacts are being felt across a range of industries.

Brick and mortar retail has been particularly hard hit by the restrictions brought in to curb the spread of the pandemic, with pedestrian footfall virtually evaporating overnight. While some retailers have been able to switch to online shopping to keep revenues flowing, others have simply had to close their doors for a few weeks - or potentially longer - until this all blows over. But as the casinos are closed, what’s happening to their players?

As we can see, the economic impact of COVID-19 hasn’t been felt uniformly, with some industries even reporting an uptick in business as millions across the country are forced to stay at home for the foreseeable future. One industry that has been reporting growth, however, is the online casino sector, which has been reporting some pretty staggering figures despite the challenges of a global pandemic. In fact, while the restrictions of social distancing have all but killed brick and mortar casinos, which don’t fall under the exemptions as ‘essential’ stores or services, online casinos have seen more users than ever logging on.

Another aspect of the restrictions that are driving more users than ever to online casinos, is the mass cancellation of sporting events around the world. With all the major football championships, golf tournaments, and even the Olympics now indefinitely postponed or outright cancelled, droves of users are logging on to online casinos to get a gaming fix.

In these circumstances, online gaming looks set to become one of the most popular social-distancing friendly hobbies, as a quick game of poker or roulette can be played in an instant from the comfort of your own home. Although an already robust industry with a loyal fanbase, the increase in the total volume of traffic directed at these websites is worth noting.

With no end in sight to the COVID-19 restrictions, “going online” looks like a trend that could be with us for some time. While this might spell disaster for your local, brick and mortar casino, the future looks bright for online casino entertainment sites such as those listed at https://www.playcasinos.ca/online-casinos/ with more players than ever turning to them in this time of great boredom!

These trends have been mirrored in the US, with online social poker room ‘Global Poker’ revealing a 43% increase in the use of online casinos since the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions were put in place. Most interestingly, ‘Global Poker’ also reported a 255% increase in first-time players signing up to their platform, which suggests that it isn’t just the seasoned players putting in more hours that is driving up the website traffic. Instead, it seems like a whole new generation of players is discovering the thrills of online casino gaming.