COVID-19 Effect on Online Casinos in Malaysia

Uncertainty over how long the global pandemic (COVID-19) will persist has left many questions. Largely in regard to how varying industries, including online casinos in Malaysia will function.  Tn the casino industry, casinos all over the world has announced their temporary closure. This is all done in conjunction with local government’s safety procedure of nation-wide quarantine to prevent a mass outbreak. “We regret any inconvenience caused by the temporary closure of our resort. We thank you for your support and understanding as we work together towards the prevention of COVID-19,” an official of Genting Casino announced recently. How will Online Casinos in Malaysia be affected? Unlike regular brick and mortar casinos, online casinos have the benefit of not warranting physical contact between players and dealers. In this time of crisis, it is looking like a very real possibility that playing casino games at home are going to be on the rise. In Malaysia, all states are on official lockdown enforced by the local government under the clause of Movement Control Order (MCO). It was recently further extended until 28^th April 2020. This marks the second instance of the MCO being extended in hopes of containing the outbreak. Due to a large amount of population being home-bound, online casinos in Malaysia are experiencing a sharp rise in the number of players over the recent month. Online casinos are using different forms of bonuses and incentives to attract players to their website. The number of new players is on the rise. At the same time, long-term active players have also been playing more bets over the course of the month. There has been a vivid rise in online casino traffic across the board in Malaysia. However, the situation can still be very unpredictable over a long-term period. People’s income is going to factor in whether they continue visiting online casinos in Malaysia. Certain bookmakers, lottery operators, and betting vendors are also forced to shut down due to reasons not limited to governmental limitations and shortage of staff to maintain operations. COVID-19 effect on Sportsbook Sportsbooks find themselves starved of large amounts of options. Sports league such as NBA, Premier League, NCAA and many other popular leagues are on hiatus. Currently, in Malaysia sportsbook, eSports league are on the rise. Most sportsbooks now provide large option ranges for all varieties of eSports for sportsbook bettors. Sportsbook has also started promoting lesser-known eSports. Due to the decrease in overall sportsbook activity, H2 Gambling Capital expects a 8% decline in global gambling gross win in 2020. This will be only the second time annual revenue will have fallen in 20 years. Conclusion In the span of just a few months, the COVID-19 outbreak has shut down economies and sent over a billion people in lockdown. Most casinos and bookmakers have closed down until the outbreak lessens. Casino games are expected to overtake its popular sportsbook counterpart by a large margin.  The climate can still be unpredictable due to varying factors. Things are expected to become progressively better over the next month as the government gets a better grasp on the overall situation.