Corona and Casinos: The Impact of the Virus on the Gambling Industry
With isolation imposed and businesses being shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic, the casino industry is suffering. Could slot apps be the solution to the deteriorating state of the industry?
Unless you have been isolated in a desert retreat for 12 days, like actor and musician Jared Leto, then you will be fully aware of the global pandemic known as Coronavirus. It is also highly like that you are reading this at home in some form of self-isolation or perhaps even quarantine. This is the reality for many people at the moment and it is having even a detrimental effect on businesses.
As well as causing a negative effect at a macro level with the global economy suffering, at a micro-level too, businesses are struggling as a direct result of the virus and the precautions being taken to prevent the spread. Citizens have been advised to avoid attending gatherings in larger groups and stay at home, while entertainment venues have been shut down.
The Impact on Real-World Casinos
As a result of a combination of these issues, the real-world casino industry is feeling the effects a great deal and this looks set to continue for some time. As early as two weeks ago, before the virus really hit fever pitch in most countries, some casino companies were already feeling the brunt of the viruses economic impacts.
This was owed to a slowdown in footfall from global visitors, including a significant number from China, as travel plans were already being severely hindered. Meanwhile, even those who could travel opted not to due to fear of catching the virus. In regards to this impact, it is exacerbated by the fact that many real-world casinos double as a resort. This means that alongside the casino games, they get a large share of the revenue from guests at their hotels and those who attend their restaurants or bars on-site too. None of which are now making any money.
The willingness to avoid casinos is understandable as they are high-risk locations for spreading the virus. The first issue is the social aspect of casinos as people interact with one another within them in close quarters. Add into this the fact that casinos require attendees to share their resources, for example, cards, chips and slot machine handles, and the issue becomes greater. In fact, some sources stated that casinos were up there with schools, in terms of being the most affected by the virus.
With this considered, it is no wonder that guests were already depleting early on. It is also no surprise that the Nevada governor, James Dehaven has now also ordered the closure of casinos on the famous Nevada strip alongside hotels, restaurants and all other non-essential business. As logical as both these steps might be, it is a huge headache for casino owners who are now fronting big losses, while those who would like to attend casinos are at a loss for safe places to do that.
Slot Apps as a Solution
There is one glaringly obvious solution to the current issue – the use of online casino gameplay methods, specifically slot apps like the ones you can read more about here. Both online casino gaming and their downloadable equivalents for phones – mobile slot apps – have been on the rise for close to a decade now and in some territories, have even overshadowed their real-world counterparts.
With the current situation that bricks and mortar casinos are facing now, if they haven’t already begun seizing the chance to provide players an option to play casino games and benefit financially too, they should think about setting up these virtual places to play as soon as possible.
In the first country hit by the virus, China, their main casino city, Macau was forced to close over a month ago. Unfortunately for casino firms here, they learned the hard way about not optimising their playing options for online gameplay so that guests can enjoy games at home via slots apps. As a result of not doing so, they suffered a drop of 88% drop in revenue across this first month of closure alone.
This drop was met almost identically by a rise in revenue seen by Philippines offshore gambling operators who offer a strictly online service. POGOs, as they are known, saw revenue spikes on 90% during that same period. Therefore, players were still looking to find a new way to play and these online POGOs were the ones who benefited as opposed to Macau’s venues. This has been cited by some as a “wake-up” call for Macau’s casino vendors.
It should also be a wake-up call for brick and mortar venues worldwide who currently don’t have support for mobile slot apps or other methods for players to enjoy the best mobile slots while in isolation. These slot apps would not only provide much-needed revenue for these casinos who are currently unable to obtain it via traditional means, but also provide a much-needed outlet for their players too
Indeed, the benefits of mobile slot apps are large in number. The main one is the convenience they offer the player which is now more important than ever before. Getting involved in slot apps is merely a case of downloading the product and then you will have all the best mobile slots directly on your mobile phone.
Of course, this can be done from the comfort of your own home, and so runs no risk of infection as it doesn’t require players to leave self-isolation. As well as having the best mobile slots, these mobile apps will also come brimming with other games like blackjack, roulette and many more too. As such, you get a full casino experience via them, if not a more all-encompassing one because mobile slot apps do not have the same limit on space as real-world venues do.
Slot apps would be an ideal method, therefore, to appease both the financial limitations imposed on casinos and help players looking for an outlet during these dull times. Of course, slot apps can’t be created and developed overnight. This will mean that those who do not have existing slot apps, will already lose out to those who have already set these up ahead of the crisis – but there is still plenty of time. Essentially, it is a race where those who are quickest to react will earn the lion’s share of the revenue.
Even so, slots app would be a good call for all casinos out there in the modern age. As even when this is pandemic over, the need for such places to play best mobile slots on the go will still be there. Moreover, the virus may even increase the desire from players for slot apps, as once they realize that they can play the best mobile slots more conveniently on mobile slot apps, then perhaps they will stay away from real-world venues forever.
We hope you enjoyed this promoted piece as much as we did!
