Lack of Live Sports Can Lead to Increased Problematic Gambling
Despite the lack of live sports, some people are still indulging in excessive online gambling. Some gambling insiders speculated that there’s an increased risk of people who can get in trouble. In most parts of Europe, sports betting is a significant part of income for bookmakers.
Due to the coronavirus, there are a few live sports events available to bet on. Organizers hold events in empty arenas or stadiums. They include greyhound and horse racing in Ireland, football in Belarus, table tennis in Ukraine, and Aussie rules football in Australia.
Most sports markets vanished due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it seems like the lack of sports worsens problematic gambling problems instead of alleviating them. Instead of sports betting, vulnerable people turn to higher-frequency online gambling, such as roulette, slots, and virtual horse racing.
Lack of Live Sports Increases Problem Gambling Instances
Sportsbook pay per head reviews and news sites reported that some problematic gamblers felt a weight off their shoulders with bookies closed. There are no triggers to gamble on sports. However, several players switched to other forms of gambling.
High-frequency betting is still available through online casinos. Some anti-gambling advocates are concerned that people would log into their online gambling accounts due to boredom. Also, some operators might incentivize players to move over to casinos while live sports are unavailable.
Some online casinos offer free spins, free bets, and other promos to get players to play online roulette and slots. It can be very addicting, especially to vulnerable people. One can place a bet every one to two seconds. Also, some slots have huge jackpots that will make them more appealing to gamblers.
On the other hand, sports betting is a slower burn. You need to finish the match to know the results of your wagers. That’s one of the principles on how to be a bookie. At present, bookies try to engage their players through social media by running contests during the pandemic.