Earlier this year all sports events were cancelled or postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus spreading around the globe. One month later, situation is still not very promising for sports fans, rugby fans included. Most major sports events, like 2020 Summer Olympics, have been cancelled and rescheduled, leaving no hope for sports fans that the situation will get better any time soon. Even if coronavirus show signs of slowing down, governments will not be so fast in making a decision to enable mass gatherings at events like sports games. World Rugby alone cancelled seven planned tournaments, including the U20 World Cup.
Sports booking companies facing problems, but remain creative
While sportsbook goes down due to the pandemic, Casino Games Online keep going up, proving once again that the online casino industry is rather resilient to economy crisis. But like any industry that mostly depends on physical presence of people, physical aspects of the gambling industry, land based casinos are one of those who are taking hardest hits. Sports booking companies around the world are not an exception, having trouble paying their bills and keeping the lights running. Although most operators now offer e-sports betting or betting on sports events from countries where they are not banned, it’s obviously not as attractive as betting on major sports events from Super League or Premier League for example.
However, it is worth noting that betting companies are smart enough to put their focus on online wagering and relying more on future bets, like NFL drafts, winners of future events like Super Bowl, FIFA World Cup etc, keeping the industry alive as much as possible. As for e-sports events which are more popular than ever, especially among younger generations, they will hardly keep the industry alive by themselves.
New markets challenged by the coronavirus
One of the most promising markets for sports betting is USA, where earlier this year sports betting was finally legalized due to long-waited gambling regulation being passed by the congress, allowing for sports fans to place legal wages on sports events. Although rugby is not as popular as NFL in North America, some people would certainly be interested in placing a bet on their favorite rugby team across the ocean. But he US economy is facing some problems, which goes for USA Rugby’s board as well. The organization has already declared bankruptcy due to the financial challenges even before the coronavirus pandemic, leaving their future uncertain. World Rugby has approved a financial support, which would probably have greater effect if restrictive measures were lifted.
Rugby World Cup 2023
The next Rugby World Cup, which is scheduled for 2023 in France, is probably not going to be affected by the coronavirus. It is safe to assume that the corona situation will be under control by that time, leaving rugby fans only one thing to worry about: supporting their favorite team. Rugby World Cup 2023 will probably not be the first major rugby event to happen after the coronavirus pandemic subsides, but it will certainly be one of the most profitable events for sports booking industry.
