Those Playing Poker In Lockdown Are Not Alone

The Covid-19 pandemic has left a lot of people around the world wondering about their future finances. Many have either lost jobs, or could lose them in the future.

However, it hasn’t been bad on everyone and those that have kept afloat during the pandemic have had to look for alternative ways to spend their money. For some, this has been online gaming and in particular there has been a lot of people playing poker during lockdown.

Flutter Sees Surge in Online Users

Flutter Entertainment PLC has released figures showing a surge in online gambling during the first half of 2020.

Sales have been pushed up by 22% and the average number of daily users on their website PokerStars, which solely focuses on poker, was up by 70% during the second quarter. This is at a time when economies around the world were frozen due to the lockdown.

It is said that many people playing are those who have played in the past, and these players are rediscovering their love for the game due to having a little more time on their hands. Most of the customers were in the small category, with betting being around the $13 per week mark.

This means that poker offers a low-cost way to entertain yourself during these times. This has also attracted new players, who have been learning how to play poker during lockdown.

Gambling companies have been on the lookout for those who do need help more than ever during this time though, which is good to see.

The Sky Betting and Gaming division of Flutter Entertainment stepped in to speak to players more than normal during this time. The UK Gambling Commission have been one of the driving forces behind this, recognising that people could fall into trouble easier during this time.

They have sent over 700,000 warnings to players surrounding their deposit limits during this time, ensuring that everyone is remaining safe through what could be tough times for some customers.

The surge in people playing poker is also down to the lack of sporting events that have taken place. We have seen many either cancelled for the year or postponed until a later date, leaving sports gamblers with nothing to bet on so they have been looking out for alternatives.

How Online Bookmakers Can Serve All Type of Gambling

There is no way that online bookmakers have been able to ever plan for a pandemic putting a hole in the sporting fixtures, but the way that these now operate means they can ride out something like this.

Many new online betting sites offer sports betting as well as many other forms, including poker, casino gaming and virtual sports. By having a diverse service like this, if one area is out of action, as we have seen with sport, then the others can still make money for them.

By offering these, there is also the chance that sports gamblers will move onto other things, but stick with the same company and use their poker rooms or casino tables rather than taking business elsewhere.

You can’t plan for a pandemic, but the way bookmakers have set themselves up gives them a better chance of surviving one.

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