The governments of Latvia, Lithuania and Greece have announced closures dur to the coronavirus pandemic affect casinos and betting shops.
They join shutdowns in Europe including much of the UK as well as the Netherlands, Belgium France, Germany and Italy.
Lithuania’s government announced a temporary lockdown which will see the closure of all catering establishments, restaurants and cafes, as well as entertainment and gaming venues across the nation. The lockdown is scheduled from November 7 to November 29.
The country’s gambling revenue in the first half of 2020 fell by 15.9 percent to €43.8m as a result of lockdown restrictions imposed in the first half of the year.
Greece has also announced a 3-week suspension of land-based gaming as part of another national lockdown, to be imposed from November 7 until November 30. The restrictions will see former OPAP close, as well as its Play-branded gaming halls, as well lotteries and the horseracing facility at Markopoulo.
OPAP will continue to offer its range of products online, but the operator’s revenue is down 34.8% year-on-year for the first half of 2020.
Latvia is imposing a longer lockdown, from November 9 to December 6. The country has seen a 33.2% year-on-year decline for the year.
Meanwhile, bookmakers in the UK have agreed pay additional fees on existing streaming and data deals until December 2 to help prop up the racing industry during the latest pandemic shutdown. The extra revenue from online operators will help racecourses to make up for some of the funding shortfall caused by the widespread closure of betting shops in the UK and Ireland for the next month, according to SBC News.
