With the Covid-19 pandemic in full force came lockdowns and government restrictions that kept most people indoors for months. For some people, it was an opportunity to catch up on the latest movies and TV shows. However, the vast majority of people resorted to gaming. As a result, the gaming industry saw a surge in consumer demand.
There was as much as a 28% jump in the number of mobile gamers in the US as more people took to mobile and online games to find solitude. However, this surge was not just in video games and other sorts of entertainment platforms – casino games also recorded an unprecedented rise in consumer demand.
Checking the revenue reports by these online brands in New Jersey where gambling is legal, the year 2020 was, in fact, one of the best financial years. NJ’s online sportsbooks recorded almost $1 billion in sports wagers just for the month of December 2020, while NJ’s online casinos and poker continued to rake in millions in revenue within the same period.
In the case of New Jersey, it is easy to understand why most players quickly turned to online gaming and sports betting for some entertainment. As the Covid-19 pandemic reached a record high number of infections, the state Governor shut down all businesses that involve direct customer interaction for a period of almost 3 months. With the shutdown also came lockdowns that left casino patrons without a way to gain access to their favorite casino games and bet on their top sports leagues.
Online casinos and sports betting provided a way out, and they didn’t just entertain but also rewarded gamers.
It was more of a way for other gamers to relieve stress as they picked up their game controllers and joined online communities in multi-player games.
While the industry continues to grow as more people are yet to adapt to the new normal, experts are skeptical about whether the growth will continue or slow down in the coming years.
Video game streaming platforms like Twitch recorded billions of gaming hours watched while popular PC gaming platforms like Steam hit new user count records at the peak of the pandemic.
The US gaming industry continues to set new records as pandemic fuels sales. More people have the time to sit behind a screen; whether this will continue or not will depend on brands and game developers’ ability to provide new content that will keep newcomers hooked.
