The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) recently conducted a survey to determine the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the country’s gaming industry. The global regulator took into consideration its licensed casino operators and carried out the survey via its Information and Research Unit, covering several aspects such as Gaming Revenue (GR), cost of operations and investments.
The MGA also considered prevailing industry concerns that have been triggered by the pandemic and the subsequent actions taken by the operators to handle the same. According to the reports gathered from the survey, it is projected that the B2C sector and operators involved in Type 2 (sports betting) games, in particular, have been the worst hit. The revenue for this sector has been estimated to be 40% less than what was earlier predicted in early 2020.
Meanwhile, operators are planning to postpone investment plans owing to the pandemic-borne uncertainties. The MGA will further continue to study the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and conduct more surveys if needed. It is to be noted that the unleashed travel restrictions, limited movement and business activities as well as completely halted major events, which eventually led to a decline in gambling activities.
The key highlights of the aforementioned survey include the following:
