COVID-19 Caused an Online Gambling Crises in the UK

By John Isaac,
Editor at online-gambling.com

John Isaac Editor at online-gambling.com

John Isaac is an editor with many years of experience in the gambling industry. He writes expert articles on card games like blackjack and poker. In addition, he is also well aware of the US gambling laws and the Indian and Dutch gambling markets. You can rely on verified information and insightful details.

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Last updated: January 4, 2021

At the end of January, Google searches for “casino” hit a record high in the UK. And that was before the coronavirus epidemic and the gaming industry’s revenues didn’t rise. Since casino and gambling spending dropped to zero at the initial lockdown, virtual sports, poker, online slots, and casino games have skyrocketed.

Data compiled by the Gambling Commission, the UK’s gambling agency, showed that online poker increased by 53% and online virtual sports betting increased 88% compared to March 2019.

The pandemic has affected a country that already had major players. According to the report of the House of Lords, half of UK adults play at least once a month. A third of a million UK peoples are the problem or dirty players. It is estimated that for every problem player, six more people, for a total of two million, will be affected by family breakdown, loss of home, job loss, crime, and eventually suicide.

 “My dad was a gambler and passed away with it seven years ago. I still live with the effects of that and the effects this had on my mum, who is still paying for a mortgage that went up massively because of his addiction,”– said CEO of TalkGEN CIC Kishan Patel.

Vulnerable Gamblers at Higher Risk Due to Online Gambling

Online gambling also made gambling addicts more vulnerable, at risk of developing a gambling addiction, and recovering.

Tony Parente, 41, is from the second group. When Tony was 9 years old his grandfather requested him to choose a home for him. After that gambling became a social activity that he shared with his friends at the bookmakers, or so Parente thought. Every time he won, his grandfather and friends told him that he was very lucky, but they soon became concerned about him.

According to Parente, his relationship with gambling was the longest in his In fact, not only did he work hard and well as a manager of a car company, but he also moved to Dubai in 2010 to escape the game. Retreating again and returning to England in 2016, Parente began to fight suicidal thoughts.

If Parente needs help, he will definitely receive social support. According to psychologists, gambling company operators, and problem gamblers we spoke to in this article, isolation has made daily life especially dangerous for vulnerable gamblers. Working from home, constant Internet access, readily available triggers such as alcohol and drugs, and feelings of isolation or helplessness all contribute to more people turning to and using them.

According to Wired.co.uk, the latest analytics and user profiling technologies can help companies detect the first signs of indiscriminate gambling before a user becomes a problem gambler. Continuous feedback from users about their own behavior is not yet mandatory for online gaming companies.

However, in the recent period, the gambling laws in the UK have definitely become much stricter exactly for this purpose – to protect people from developing gambling addiction especially those who are already vulnerable to that issue.