Danish gamblers not shifting to online gambling during lockdown

The Danish Gambling Authority, Spillemyndigheden, has indicated a decline in the number of people gambling online during the coronavirus crisis.

The effects of the lockdown on the Danish gambling market

Since 11 March, all gambling venues have been closed across the country, as well as all sporting events being cancelled.

Morten Niels Jakobsen, Director of the Danish Gambling Authority, said:
 

It very much looks like some of the measures that have been put in place in connection with the lockdown of Denmark has had an effect on parts of the gambling market – particularly on betting, land-based casinos and gaming machines.

The gambling regulator compared data from 9 March to 3 May 2020 to data from the same period of the previous year. The comparison has revealed a 60% drop in deposits made via licenced operators. It is expected that this decline will continue until sports events resume.

Despite the low levels in betting across both retail and online, online casinos increased by 2% in deposits made during the lockdown from 9 March to 3 May 2020, compared to last year during the same period of time. However, this increase is not considered a shift of the gambling activities, due to the online casino sector currently being ‘a market in growth’.

Although it is still too soon to measure the full effect of the coronavirus crisis on the gambling market, it does not appear as if the decrease in gambling at land-based casinos and gaming machines as well as betting has caused an increase in gambling on online casinos, added Jakobsen.

Spillemyndigheden will continue monitoring the Danish gambling sector and see how the markets react when gambling activities resume.