Professor José Antonio Gómez Yáñez, expert on the gaming industry and professor of sociology at Madrid’s Carlos III University, has published an article on the potential impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on gaming in Spain.
The article, published in Spanish trade journal Azar, said the sector could lose 27 percent of its revenues through April and 24 percent of its staff; another 10,000 to 15,000 jobs could be lost in the hospitality industry.
Spain has closed all its casinos, bingo halls, arcades and the betting and gaming machines in hotels. Revenues for 2019 came to €4.5 billion in “face-to-face” gaming; in that year the industry employed 48,000 people, plus 50,000 in hospitality.
According to Intergameonline.com, Gómez said three future scenarios are possible: the partial reopening of locations over a two-month period; demand in transition, meaning about 65 percent of customers would return to normal; and demand in recovery, with between 75 percent and 85 percent of customers returning, which would be towards the end of August or September.
He believes that a long period of progressive recovery will result, with the industry returning to normal in 2021.
“Naturally, these forecasts may not be fulfilled, and the economy will rebound and require only a little time,” he said, “but for a sector that obeys the feeling of optimism and security of its customers, the described climate leads to thinking of a slow recovery from levels prior to March 16.”
