Restrictions wrought by COVID-19 have busted income streams for casinos in Las Vegas and around the world, but amid limitations on in-person betting, online gambling is hitting new revenue jackpots.
And experts warn that for those with a penchant for exceeding the limits of responsible gambling, pandemic conditions have created a perfect setting for bad decision-making.
So what does that mean for states like Utah, a state that has a century-old blanket ban on gambling and, about a decade ago, bolstered restrictions on online gambling?
Data assembled by the American Gaming Association reflects total U.S. commercial gambling revenue was $24 billion for the first 10 months of 2020, a 33% drop over the same period in 2019. And of that revenue last year, more than $19 billion came from in-person casino gamblers.