There is also a moratorium on public events such as weddings and funerals, and more pertinently for the gambling industry, sporting events including the country’s top football division Serie A. The government is also advising citizens to avoid all but essential travel.
However, this does not mean a total shut-down of the retail gambling industry, according to Alessio Crisantemi of Gioconews.it. He pointed out that amusement with prizes (AWP) machines installed in venues such as bars, tobacconists, restaurants and hotels are still active, provided operators can ensure a distance of at least one metre between patrons. This is also the case for betting kiosks found in tobacconists.
These venues will be subject to stricter opening hours, between 6AM and 6PM.
However, Crisantemi added, there were “interpretative doubts” as as to whether venues such as bars, tobacconists or restaurants that host separate rooms for gaming devices can remain open.
While they are technically not considered ‘gaming halls’, as they offer gambling within a different type of establishment, they could be classed as such and therefore face closure under the lockdown decree.
The impact on the country’s igaming market is yet to be seen, though several businesses have already spoken out to say it was likely to be used to offset a lack of retail revenue. When it announced the shut-down of its Snaitech betting shop, Playtech said that it hoped the brand’s online operation would at least mitigate in part the retail closures.
Earlier in March, industry analsyts H2 Gambling Capital estimated that a worst case scenario could lead to an 8% year-on-year decline in global gambling revenue in 2020. Based on the shut-down of activity in China and its autonomous regions, coupled with quarantine protocols in the likes of Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Malaysia and South Korea, the industry is facing a decline of at least 1% for the year, or 4.8% below H2's original 2020 forecast of US$475 billion.
This, however, could worsen, as it does not include downgrades to H2's revenue forecasts for other markets.
Source: GMB / iGaming Business
