Does the European online casino market benefit from the Covid-19 pandemic? Experts pointed out the truth
Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, there have been millions of confirmed cases in Europe, accounting for half of the global proportion, and nearly 90,000 people have died. In order to stop the spread of the virus, European countries have implemented the policy of locking down the city and locking the country, this implementation is considered to promote the online gambling market. However, the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) hold a different view and believe that online gambling activities have decreased accordingly. However, it also issued a warning that the operator will be further reviewed, especially in terms of protecting players, and players should not be allowed to personally monitor their actions.
EGBA added that sports gambling accounts for half of European online gambling activities. Therefore, after the suspension or cancellation of major sports events, it has directly led to the reduction of gambling activities, and far exceeded the growth rate of online casinos. The agency also pointed out that concerns about the rapid increase in online gambing activities support the recent implementation of strict advertising restrictions in some European countries, but these are not true. It cites the latest data released by H2 Gambling Capital, which shows a prediction that global gambling revenue will decline in 2020. At the same time, it reminds operators that although players can use many tools to ensure their responsible gambling, the company’s responsibility is to ensure that these tools are properly labeled and effective.
EGBA emphasized that responsibility is not only on players, online gaming companies should take responsible actions, and remember social responsibility at this difficult time. Therefore, online gambling companies should ensure that responsible gaming tools are widely available to customers, and that these tools are obvious, accessible, and easy to use. For players who experience a problem gambling, each operator and national self-exclusion plan is an important safety net. However, national self-exclusion registration does not apply to unlicensed operators, so it calls on regulators to further ban on such websites. Importantly, the operator must produce the ads responsibly and must follow the guidelines for responsible advertising which released in March.
EGBA said “responsible and safer gambling is a basic daily goal, we all hope to have an industry that can develop for a long time, so that customers can enjoy the game in a safe environment”. However, the lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic, millions of Europeans have been quarantined at home, which makes the above goals even more important. According to the guidelines issued by EGBA, the operator must not mention the Covid-19, the pandemic statement mentioned by the World Health Organization (WHO) and any other relevant developments in the advertisement. At the same time, it also warns operators that they must ensure that their advertising does not describe gambling activities as solutions to social, personal, or financial problems, nor invite players to use online gambling as a pastime from boring life.
