Casinos in the UK, Italy, France, Germany, Holland, Ireland and Belgium are closing for at least two weeks, likely longer, during a second wave of closures due to Covid 19.
Among the closures are:
- German casinos shut down for at least one month starting on November 2, which will be reviewed every two weeks.
- Holland casinos will close for two weeks, November 4 – 18.
- French casinos will be closed until December 1.
- Belgian gaming venues are closed until December 13.
- Irish gambling venues will be closed until December 2.
- Italy’s shops and casinos are closed until November 12.
- UK gambling shops and casinos will close November 5 to December 3.
- Wales will close shops from November 5 to November 9.
- In the UK, shops in Northern Ireland and Scotland will remain open.
Horseracing racing and other elite sports will also be able to continue operating behind closed doors, unlike during the first lockdown.
According to a statement from the British Horseracing Authority: “The horseracing industry has worked hard to maintain the safety of our participants and the communities in which we live and work. We have done all we can to play our part and will continue to do so under the new restrictions.”
The statement said the permission to remain operational was “welcome news for the tens of thousands whose livelihoods depend upon our industry.”
GVC Holdings reacted to the UK shutdown in a market update saying it will cost the company an estimated £37 million. The company said England’s retail closure will cost the betting group an estimated £27 million, while the closure of its Eurobet Italia and Ladbrokes BE subsidiaries are estimated to cost about £10 million.
Further, if Wales and Scotland call for full lockdown, the company’s total loss would be £43 million, GVC said.
“We are following government advice in each area of our operations and are enacting contingency plans to minimize the impact on the business,” GVC said in a press statement emphasizing that “the safety and well-being of customers and staff were paramount.”
GVC has recently estimated that its full-year 2020 profit forecast will be between £770-£790 million, due to growth in online revenue across all regulated markets.
Meanwhile the UK Betting and Gaming Council is reportedly seeking guarantees from the government that UK betting shops and gambling venues will be allowed to reopen when the current lockdown ends. Betting venues in the UK were delayed from opening for months this summer after the country’s first lockdown as the industry was classified as nonessential.
In Belgium, the country’s government has announced new Covid-19 restrictions that includes closing all cultural, festive, sporting, recreational and events establishments on October 28 and running until at least November 19. The closures were later extended into December.
Belgium is facing rising numbers of Covid 19 cases and related deaths. This is the second time Belgian gambling venues have been shut due to thee pandemic after closures that lasted from March until June.
In Italy, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has ordered a second national lockdown in Italy as Covid 19 cases peak in the country, overwhelming the country’s emergency services.
Branded as non-essential businesses, Italy’s betting shops, arcades and bingo halls have been ordered to shut down until November 24. Lotto and SuperEnalotto ticket purchases will still be available to Italian consumers, at stores, kiosks and tobacconists that can ensure social distancing.
Italy’s Ministry of Finance has said that a previous 100-day mandatory closure of all gambling venues had cost the government €2 billion in lost tax earnings. The Italian Gambling trade group Acadi estimates that in 2020 operators have lost a total of €1.8 billion in revenues and will carry total losses of €700 million by the end of November trading.
Holland Casinos, the country’s state owned casino operator, shut all 14 of its casinos until November 18.
At this time, however, most sporting events that do not include live fans can continue, so the continent’s most popular sports can continue and online sports betting is not hindered. During the first lockdowns, sports were discontinued as well.
