In 2020, the novel coronavirus pandemic affected millions of people worldwide and effectively brought the world to a standstill. But in the midst of the global lockdown, one sector remained relatively unaffected: gaming. Online gaming, to be exact.
Online gambling sees the biggest increase in lockdown: study
The University of Bristol in the United Kingdom recently conducted a study on the gaming industry in the country, and found that “gambling online saw the biggest increase during lockdown, irrespective of gambling frequency.”
Overall, men and women gambled less frequently during the lockdown—partly due to the betting shops being closed—but other forms of gambling increased. This is especially true for online gambling and other online casino games, including poker and bingo.
“This study provides unique real-time insights into how people’s attitudes and gambling behaviour changed during lockdown when everyone was stuck inside and unable to participate in most social activities,” lead author Professor Alan Emond, of the University of Bristol’s Medical School, said.
In India, where Sevenjackpots’ real money teen patti platform can be considered among the favorites to pass the time to many people, user engagement in online gaming sites like Purewin are among those aged 25-35 years rose during the lockdown period in 2020, according to an Economic Times report.
High internet penetration plays role in India’s robust gaming market
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has grounded practically the whole of the offline sector, is opening opportunities for the online industry by helping create virtual communities for sectors including online gambling as well as iGaming. According to a McKinsey report, “…given widespread adoption, Indian states are bridging the digital gap. In several areas, including the installation of infrastructures like base transceiver stations and penetration of internet services, the relatively lower-income states are growing the fastest.”
An ENV Media report, titled India’s Richest Cities and Its Large Online Gambling Communities,” expects total internet users across all platforms and devices to reach 560 million currently and is forecast to reach 650 million by 2023.
“Thus, as long as potential players have a stable internet connection (mostly 4G in India’s case), they are able to enjoy casino games, online betting, and many pay-per-play types of games. And with computers not always a viable option for most, a smartphone remains the preferred device to access i-gaming platforms and Apps,” according to ENV Media.
ENV Media: Players in India not worried about bonuses
India is largely mobile-first market with an estimated 365 million online gamers in the financial year 2020. And this market is not just tech-savvy, players in India are also not worried about bonuses—they just want to play.
In an interview with Casino Days, ENV Media co-founder Fredrik Brännlund explained: “We researched all the different online gambling-related search terms from various SEO tools, and I think was 20 percent of all these online gambling-related searches in Spain is related to bonuses, 35-40 [percent] in Italy. Know the percentage in India… 0.3 [percent].”
The ENV Media report sums up the current landscape of online gaming well, noting, “For many urban young middle class Indians – but not limited to them by any means! – socializing via online gaming is becoming a “new normal”. Until recently an innovative trait of online gaming, this has become as important in urban settings as the game itself. Whether in enforced isolation or merely away from friends and family, players respond positively to the opportunity to indulge in competition even with complete strangers.”
