While all the focus has been on pubs and restaurants being allowed to serve inside once again in the United Kingdom on May 17, gamblers up and down the country have welcomed the reopening of betting shops and casino. High street bookmakers and casinos have been one of the forgotten industries in the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, with both relying exclusively on footfall and in-person visits. While shops, bars, 1 and other vital services have been open since March or April, bookmakers and casinos have fallen into the same sector as theatres, gyms and swimming pools. That has all changed as of May 17 with 1 fanatics able to get back in the pool, gym lovers able to hit the treadmills, exercise bikes and weights once again, and theatre goers able to book tickets for shows. And significantly for betting industry – including racecourses with the return of public onto the track once again, bookmakers and casinos have been able to open their doors to customers who have missed betting directly in person. While bookmakers and casinos have been forced to close their doors, there has been a boom among new customers turning to online gambling via betting sites 123 during lockdown for regular customers, with online poker, bingo, and casino games accounting for the biggest growth. 123, Professor of Marketing at the University of Bristol’s School of Management, and co-author of the study. “The increased prevalence of home working is also an important consideration for future policy making, as the temptation to gamble online, amplified by clever advertising, is always there.” Bookmakers will be worried that the move online could turn into something more permanent, but for now they will be simply glad to be able to welcome bettors back into shops and casinos once again and restore some form of normality.
