Globally, countries have secured their borders after the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. It has yet to be entirely determined how the lockdown will affect the economy, but what is already known is that hundreds of thousands of people have lost their jobs or had their salaries decreased.
Salary cuts during the pandemic will likely lead to financial stress, leading to lower spending on leisure and luxuries like retail therapy or casino games. On the other hand, mobile shopping increased by 7.7% alone in March, and online casinos like bk8 live saw significant revenues increases in South Africa and other countries.
Let's examine the experience of higher online casino traffic and how they achieved it.
Rise of online platforms
In the context of global lockdown, it is evident that brick-and-mortar stores, restaurants, and pubs would struggle to remain open. Business owners who transitioned to an online space had a clear advantage, while those who didn't have a very challenging time in the last few months.
During the lockdown, there were many entertainment options other than online casino games. Despite this, some industries, including online dating, online learning, live webcam videos, adult movies, and insurance and streaming platforms, saw exponential growth throughout the financial crisis.
Within the first eight weeks of quarantine, South Africa's e-commerce penetration rose from 16% to 17%, according to various online resources. Adobe reports a 74% growth in online wine and spirits sales during the same period. Other major online retailers, such as Amazon, Target, Walmart, and Best Buy, reported significant increases in sales and traffic.
Who was responsible for the increase in numbers?
It makes sense that sports bettors switch to another form of online gambling when so many sports are canceled mainly, and there are no betting options for them. This demographic, however, made up just a tiny portion of the gaming population.
In almost all cases, the surge in numbers was due to players who typically frequent land-based casinos but were prevented during the lockdown. All South African casinos and other brick-and-mortar casinos closed during the outbreak, and these players accessed online platforms from their preferred land-based casinos. The result is that hundreds of thousands of regular casino players, from those who love poker to those devoted to slot machines, have all moved their business online.
A significant change has also occurred concerning online gambling sites' marketing strategies post-COVID-19 due to their growing awareness of the enormous potential of remote gambling. Bonus programs geared toward retaining online users would be helpful as well.
There will be various factors determining the success of online gambling shortly. A state's attitude towards the industry and its regulations will also play a huge role in its success.
Final thoughts
We won't know for a good while whether the online gambling industry is better off than when the pandemic started. Nevertheless, we are hopeful that many new players will have learned how thrilling it is to play casino online games in a safe, secure environment. At bk8 live, you can play live casino online games, play slot machines, wager on sports, and much more.
