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Many industries have been affected by the coronavirus outbreak, and there is no sign of this stopping anytime soon.
Countries around the world are all at different stages, so getting back to normal life on a big scale is likely to take up most of the year. Coronavirus continues to affect life in a big way, hopefully it is under control soon.
People will already be looking forward to 2021 in the hope that a new year can bring a new start and bookmakers are certainly in that category.
With very minimal live sport taking place, they have seen their product pulled from under their feet this year, leaving them with a big hole in their finances.
What will they do about it, can they do anything, and will we see any changes made to protect against this in the future?
Sporting Events Come to a Standstill
Sport around the world has been cancelled leaving bookmakers with very little events which they can accept bets on.
Football leagues such as the Premier League, Serie A, La Liga and many more are all suspended for the foreseeable future.
There is no guarantee these will finish their season over the coming months, this could simply go down as lost football.
Elsewhere we are seeing big closures across the world of horse racing, golf and tennis with multiple events cancelled.
This was supposed to be an excellent sporting year with the Euro 2020 Championships and Olympics taking place over the summer as well as the regular feast of events we have. These are all postponed until next year, so fans will be missing out.
The entire sporting calendar has taken a hit all over the world, with millions lost in revenue by the bookmakers, and more set to unfold in the coming weeks and months.
Virtual and eSports Gaining Exposure
With no real-life sport available to offer their customers, many bookmakers have been doing all they can to try and convince customers to bet on virtual sports and eSports.
We have seen a number of additional eSports tournaments set up, some official and some setup by football teams to help their fans get through these times. Bookmakers have been quick to offer betting on them in an attempt to gain a bit of custom.
These industries usually get pushed to one side when sport is taking place, but during this crisis they have come to the fore. It is hoped that these are remembered by those who have taken advantage during coronavirus and they continue to support them.
This is especially the case for eSports. Many participants have been able to play from home and keep us entertained during these times.
These players are working hard to make a living and need all the exposure and support we can give them.
2021 Set to be Huge for Sport and Betting
The hope is that 2021 will be able to run as normal and there will be no disruption to sporting action that year. If that is the case then we have a bumper program to look forward to.
With events such as the Olympics being postponed until 2021 and the European Championships also following suit, we should have 12 busy months of action.
On top of that, those who like to bet are going to actually want to watch and bet on events, because they have missed them. Those that normally get good crowds could see huge numbers tune in.
A selection of top UK betting sites can be found online, and they will all be planning for a busy 2021. We need to get over what has happened this year first, but excitement and anticipation look set to follow.
Future Changes to Safeguard
Will the betting industry change anything about their service in the future to protect themselves better should this happen again? There is a chance they will and that will come down to two areas that have kept us going throughout coronavirus.
Don’t be surprised to see a bigger eSports presence in the future, this is one sport that can keep going whatever, with players playing remotely from their own home.
The second is the virtual racing industry. Whether they release it or not, it would be no surprise to see bookmakers work on a new virtual racing product of some sort that can be used in a time of crisis.
These together would give the bookmakers a stronger service to fall back on, should something like this happen again in the future. Let’s hope it doesn’t, but don’t be surprised to see planning in case it does.
