Land-based casinos still adapting to post-Covid19 changes, while online gaming thrives

It’s been a brand unknown world out there since the Covid-19 outbreak. And everyone is trying to adopt. Of course, one of the industries blown away from the pandemic is the hospitality one. Hotels and land-based casinos have started to work again, but with completely new rules and even new working hour timetables… At the same time, online operators are offering real money bonuses, thousands of games and increase their customer base and enlarge their slice of the pie! You can find the best online casino in Canada at Stashbird. 

Nothing is as before. There are no shows, no buffets, and even most tables are closed and even players see fewer slot machines to choose. Customers are temperature checked, while hand sanitizer, face masks and disinfecting wipes are the new trends. Plastic barriers are separating slots and show distances that should be kept. Social distancing and keeping it safe are the new slogans in the industry. According to the first studies in Canada, the USA and Australia, gamblers want to go back and play their favourite games, socialize and entertain themselves at casinos, but they still feel uncomfortable. 

So the industry is still struggling. Just in Canada, 100+ casinos are operating, while 180.000+ people are working in the gaming industry which provides $25 billion in taxes, charities and spending on goods and services.

One of the major differences between playing in a real brick and mortar casino and an online operator is the socializing factor. At land-based casinos, players can socialize, have a good time at the bar, meet new people, enjoy a show, get a real VIP treatment from the moment they enter and get greeted… All this is history. Now tables are closed, or spaced out and divided with plastic barriers, slots operate only if an attendant has previously disinfected them right after the previous player left his seat. Most casinos don’t operate games that require players to touch cards, such as Poker and Blackjack. 

On top of that depending on the country or the state, there are new limits for indoor capacity acceptance. And many casinos still don’t operate because of those strict measures. “It makes no sense if you have to operate at a 30% capacity,” said a casino insider. In Atlantic City capacity is limited to 25%, while alcohol, eating and smoking is banned. 

For most countries, like Canada for example, this pandemic forced the government to make hard decisions looking at what’s really necessary like schools, stores and factories and what’s a luxury like bars, casinos, movies, etc. 

Online gambling on the rise

Casinos that were already working to build online gaming were best prepared to take advantage of this disruptive situation. And of course, established online brands saw from the first moment Covid-19 forced people to stay at home, a boost in their traffic! 

It makes sense, since gamblers who suddenly can’t go to a casino to play slot machines, cards or roulette are migrating to internet casinos.  A study has revealed a 67% increase in online gambling in the first week of April alone following the recent shutdown of all non-essential services due to COVID-19.

The figures, based on a sample of transactions of 250,000 consumers, show the online gambling industry as one of the biggest winners of the shutdown, alongside services such as food delivery, up 63%, and online retail and subscription services, up 61%. Also in another study revealed a 43% increase in the use of online poker sites in the United States since social distancing and lockdowns took effect, including a 255% increase in first-time poker players. Prior to lockdown, around 40 million Americans, or 6.8% of the total adult population, enjoyed poker either live, online or with friends on a regular basis.

With major sports shut down and slowly coming back to action, sportsbook operators saw their eSports and virtual sports sections getting more crowded. Many people have decided to try out some online betting on virtual sports. 

As sports begin to take place again, we are interested to see what kind of impact COVID-19 has had on the world of sports betting. 

Online casinos are safer and better!

This was always a hot topic. Land-based casinos or online providers? Here is our verdict, during this post-Covid19 pandemic period:

1. The first thing everybody has in mind those days is safety. And in the casino industry, nothing is safer than playing online. No matter what measures a brick and mortar casino takes, there will be always a risk for everyone involved. 
2. Online casinos provide thousands of slot games always available! No lines, no social distancing. No waiting. 
3. Slots provided by online casinos have significant bigger paying out rates, since operating costs are minimal. This way players have more winning chances playing online. 
4. Online casino customers can get a land-based casino atmosphere playing at their favourite live casino. Live dealer games allow players to interact not only with dealers, but also with other players in the table. 
5. Online casinos offer real money bonuses to attract new players, something you won’t find in land-based operators.
6. You can enjoy your favourite games from your sofa, while riding the tube or a bus, and actually wherever you are as long as your device (mobile or not) has internet access.