There’s no question that the near-universal shutdown of casinos and sporting events has sent gamblers scurrying to digital options: online slots and table games, virtual sports and mobile betting on the few professional sports teams still in play, like the newly famous Belarusian Premier League.
But the uptick in mobile bets, while a bright spot among the many grim headlines, can’t make up for losses that will be incurred over the weeks or months that casinos remain closed.
According to the Motley Fool, only a few of the nine casinos in Atlantic City generate significant revenues from their online operations. One, the Golden Nugget, actually reaps more from its online casino than the brick-and-mortar property, and in February, Resorts AC saw $14 million in casino win and almost as much—$12 million—from online gaming.
But for most AC gaming halls, it’s the opposite. Market-leading Borgata, for example, posted $66.4 million in total revenue in February, but 86 percent was generated at the casino itself, and only 12 percent came from online. Internet win for the city’s Caesars Entertainment casinos is only 7 percent of the total.
Even so, operators have little choice during the current emergency but to pivot online—and it helps, to an extent. Rush Street Interactive, which offers iGaming through PlaySugarHouse.com in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and BetRivers.com in Pennsylvania, has witnessed a dramatic increase in traffic, according to Chief Operating Officer Mattias Stetz.
Shortly after the states’ casinos closed last month, BetRivers.com saw “about four to five times as many new casino customers signing up compared to what we would expect considering seasonality right now,” Stetz said.
With most professional sport teams shut down, sportsbooks are offering wagers on the most obscure sports and teams, and making them almost famous, like those Belarusian soccer players. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, William Hill has been taking bets on table tennis, chess and European soccer—along with futures bets on the NFL draft, the 2020-21 NFL regular season win total and the 2020-21 college basketball championship.
And last month, the Nevada Gaming Control Board authorized wagering on Counter-Strike, ESL Pro League season 11: North America, a video game tournament.
The shift to online, combined with the stress of long-term nationwide quarantines, has sparked concerns that some gamblers will have a tough time controlling the urge to play. According to the Press of Atlantic City, while research indicates that 2 percent to 3 percent of Americans display some form of problem gambling behavior, a report from the Center for Gambling Studies at Rutgers University suggests that problem gambling is more prevalent among online players.
Neva Pryor, executive director of the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey, said she is “very concerned about problem gamblers” during the pandemic.
“A lot of people are going to reach out to gambling, they’re going to reach out to substances and other activities that might prove to be harmful, and then come out of it with a problem,” Pryor said.
Jody Bechtold, clinical social worker and CEO of the Better Institute in Pittsburgh told the Philadelphia Inquirer, “People in recovery will go back to gambling, thinking that this will be a way to deal with their economic problems. These are desperate times, and they will use the desperate measures of the gambler’s attitude. We’re going to see more relapses.”
As for available online betting opportunities, here’s a sampler:
- The World Series of Poker’s Spring Online Championships, which started April 1 and will run through May 3 for players in Delaware, Nevada and New Jersey. The tourney will feature more than $4 million in guarantees and include 100 events, plus daily tournaments and a 12-event warmup series.
- Tennis is going virtual with the launch of the ATP Masters 1000 from the Association of Tennis Professionals and IMG Arena. The games promise the most authentic “fan-first” experience for tennis enthusiasts, organizers say.
- Sports data company Sportradar is going the virtual route with Simulated Reality, a new AI-based product that became available April 3. Bookmakers can use the product to offer pre-match and in-play betting markets, starting with the top-tier soccer leagues in England, Germany and Spain. During the 90-minute matches, fans can place bets, access match analysis and watch real-time visualizations of the game.
The situation also presents an opportunity for esports. For example, Veloce esports’ “Not the Australian Grand Prix” event, which occurred after the cancellation of the Formula One season-opener in Melbourne, featured driver Lando Norris and the event led to Norris breaking the Formula One record for concurrent viewers on Twitch, clearing 70,000. Some of the leading esports titles are breaking gaming records.
So, when casino doors reopen, will those properties be bombarded with eager players, or will they stay online, because they’re wary of public places or because they’ve simply grown accustomed to it? Opinions vary.
“I feel that the entire landscape will be changed for a long time, probably until a vaccine is completed,” Melanie Weisner, a poker pro from Houston, told the Review-Journal. “Even if they’re allowed to reopen in the near future, live card rooms will experience a dearth in player activity. A poker table is just about the worst Petri dish you can imagine.”
“Going from playing live at the Wynn to playing a dumb, stupid app on my phone, I can’t do it; I can’t take it seriously,” said 21-year-old Chris Konvalinka. “It doesn’t feel like real money.”
“Once (the virus) runs its course, or we have an effective vaccine, I will certainly play,” said Neil Blumenfield, who placed third in the WSOP Main Event in 2015. “Poker is just one of a zillion activities that requires multiple people congregating.”
