Published: 01.04.2020, 19:46
2 min read
Gross gambling revenue in Denmark has increased significantly ever since the Danish Gaming Act liberalized the gaming industry in 2012. Between 2012 – 2018, the industry’s annual revenue increased from 7.55 billion DKK ($1.1 billion) to 9.74 billion DKK ($1.42 billion).
Although Denmark has been enjoying a surge in gambling, they are currently struggling due to the quickening spread of COVID-19. The Danish Gambling Authority (DGA), also known as Spillemyndighedens, has suspended all gaming employees. This is mainly due to the Danish government’s decision to send home everybody who does not have a critical public sector career.
However, these employees will still be able to stay busy. The DGA’s employees will still be able to work from home and attend online meetings. DGA stated that they hope this transition will be as smooth as possible and that they sincerely regret any annoyances and troubles it may cause.
Other countries across the globe are stuck in a similar situation; take, for instance, Latvia. This country’s Gambling Supervisory Authority and lotteries will turn away in-person visitors between March 13th and April 14th. Similarly, Lithuania’s gambling regulator will only serve self-exclusion over the internet until March 27th.
The Netherlands has seen its fair share of impact as well – Holland Casino has closed all of its branches across the nation until March 31st at the absolute earliest. All 14 casinos throughout the Netherlands have been rendered inoperable during this trying time. The Netherlands was currently in the middle of creating a process to license i-gaming operators; we shall see how the coronavirus will affect their estimated timeline.
Within Italy, Newgioco and Playtech are shutting down all of their stores, in order to properly follow the government-mandated shutdown.
COVID-19 is also drastically affecting sports across the world. For instance, UEFA held a crisis meeting on March 17th, in which they decided to postpone the Euro 2020 until next year. Furthermore, they have postponed next week’s Europa League and Champion’s Leauge matches.
There have been sports suspensions across England – all English Premier League matches have been postponed until after April 3rd. That decision was made after a Chelsea player and an Arsenal manager received a positive diagnosis for the coronavirus. Other English leagues have been suspended as well, such as the English Football League and Women’s Super League, for instance.
Sports have been impacted in the US as well; the National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, and Major League Soccer have all been suspended for the time being. Furthermore, the National Collegiate Athletic Association has canceled basketball tournaments for both men’s and women’s teams in Division 1.
