Giuseppe Faraone, Author and Online Gambling Expert at CasinoTopsOnline: “The pandemic significantly altered players’ gambling habits”

The COVID-19 pandemic changed many areas of life and many industries, including gambling. As a result of the closure of land-based options, players turned towards online providers, accelerating growth in this sector. The pandemic also changed the attitude of players, with some finding it difficult to manage their behaviour. During difficult economic times, many players change their approach towards gambling, lowering limits and turning to lower-risk games like slots. In this article, we’ll look at some of the ways players’ gambling habits were changed by the pandemic. 

Online Gambling Dominates the Market 

One of the changes to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic was the further shift towards online gambling. Before the pandemic, the market was already moving towards the online market. The enhanced game libraries, exclusive games, and increased bonuses left land-based casinos struggling to compete. 

In 2019, the UK Gambling Commission found that 35.1% of adults in the UK had participated in gambling in person at least once a month. Following the first lockdown in March 2020, all gambling venues had to close down, leading to plummeting numbers of in-person gamblers. By 2021, the number of those participating monthly at in-person gambling venues had decreased, over 10%, to 24.5%. 

Even after reopening, many providers decided to capitalise on the online shift rather than reopen their land-based venues. William Hill, one of the biggest names in gambling in the UK, decided not to reopen 119 of its shops that were shut during the pandemic. The company cited the movement towards online providers as a reason for not reopening, saying they “did not expect customers to return in the numbers seen before the COVID-19 pandemic”. 

The pandemic caused players, as well as providers, to turn to the online market. In the same UKGC survey, 21.1% of adults in the UK in 2019 responded that they’d gambled online in the last month. In 2021, this number had steadily increased to 25.3%. In the most recent survey completed in 2024, the percentage of the adult population who had gambled online in the last month sat at 38%. While it can be argued that the gambling market was already shifting towards the online world, there can be little doubt that the pandemic helped accelerate it. 

Changing Game Preferences

Gambling providers faced another challenge during the pandemic. A complete lockdown meant that many of the sports that had been central to their offering were stopped. Football, the country’s most popular sport to watch and bet on, came to a halt, with the Premier League suspending its 2019/2020 season on the 13th of March 2020. When the season was able to restart in June, it did so behind closed doors, resulting in betting numbers staying low. 

As a result of the suspension of sports like football and horse racing, the country’s most popular form of gambling, sports betting, took a sizable hit. While some players looked to esports as an alternative, others turned to casino games like blackjack and poker. Another popular option was slots, which represents lower risk and lower investment gambling than other choices. 

Between March 2024 and March 2025, slots saw an increase in yield of 11%, alongside an increase in account numbers to 4.2 million monthly users. They remained an incredibly popular choice with players throughout the pandemic and now represent the leading form of gambling in the UK, excluding sports betting. Leading online slots expert Giuseppe Faraone, who has almost ten years of experience within the iGaming industry, said, “The pandemic saw a change in game taste. Slots were the biggest example of this, and their popularity has been enduring thanks to their variety and innovation.” 

There’s a wide variety of choices in slots, with the classic three-reel slots alongside more innovative options, like virtual reality slots. Virtual reality slots make use of cutting-edge technology to immerse players within a vibrant casino environment, allowing them to interact with a dealer and other elements like chips. Further choices, like interactive slots, which feature additional mini-games, are also popular. The player’s performance in these games influences the overall outcome of the slot. Other innovative features, like progressive jackpots, where prizes increase the more players spin, have also been a popular addition. 

For players who missed the bustling atmosphere of land-based casinos during the pandemic, online casinos offered appealing choices. Live dealer versions of casino games are one such option. In these games, players can interact with a dealer in real-time while making the most of intricate set and sound designs that create a realistic casino environment. They’re one of the most popular options, especially for table games like poker, baccarat, and roulette. 

Changes in Player Behaviour

The COVID-19 pandemic also changed the way players interact with online gambling. During challenging economic times, many were forced to reevaluate their gambling habits. The majority of players saw a decrease in disposable income and, as a result, assigned a lower budget to gambling. This trend saw an increase in games that demanded lower investment levels with lower risk, like slots. 

The main increases in gambling interaction came from younger players, especially those below the age of 25. Many reported feeling bored during the evening and turning to online gambling as a result. They also reported struggling to limit their online gambling behaviour due to having more time and increased accessibility through online gambling, which is available anywhere at any time. 

Due to the closure of in-person venues, players also had to change their habits in terms of payments. Bank cards, transfers, cryptocurrency, and e-wallets became the most popular choices, with cash, of course, left behind. Some players reported finding it harder to track their spending as a result of a switch to card payments. They also reported having an increase in expenditure as a result. 

Interestingly, many of the players already active within the online world found their habits changed relatively little in comparison. They reported lowering their average stake to stretch their budget out over a greater period of time, but they found no increase in overall spending. While the pandemic did impact the habits of many players, some were left unchanged throughout. 

Challenging Times for Vulnerable Players 

The COVID-19 pandemic represented challenging circumstances for many players who were already at risk. In the gambling world, vulnerable players are those who display risky behaviour, like overspending, chasing losses, or lying about gambling habits. When the vast majority of people’s routines were disrupted in the pandemic, many vulnerable players found this behaviour exaggerated. 

Support and routine are some of the most important things to help vulnerable players. Many rely on help groups or loved ones to challenge their habits or recognise changes in their behaviour. During the pandemic, some of these opportunities for intervention and help disappeared, and vulnerable players found themselves at risk. 

Government surveys found that gambling frequency and expenditure increased for a group of those already at risk. Throughout surveys, members of this group were more likely to be young males who had already interacted with gambling. As a result of an online shift, they found themselves exploring new games, with greater access and more time—a dangerous combination. 

Gambling responsibly is essential, and there are a number of ways you can monitor your behaviour to make sure you’re doing so. Firstly, you can track your transactions and activity on sites through the profile section of your account. It’s also recommended that you make the most of time and spend limits, preventing overspending or long playing spells. 

You can also set reality checks or reminders that interrupt play, making sure you want to continue, on many providers. For those who recognise they’re developing a problematic relationship with gambling, they can self-exclude from sites and limit related ads. There’s also an array of helplines and groups that you can reach out to for support. 

Did the Pandemic Significantly Change Players’ Gambling Habits? 

There can be very little doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the gambling habits of the majority of players. As land-based providers closed, the movement towards the online world was accelerated, with particular growth in low-risk, low-investment games like slots. The growth of slots was also due to their lower minimums, variety, and innovative options, including live dealer and virtual reality options. For a small group of vulnerable players, the pandemic saw their risky behaviour exacerbated. Overall, as online gambling expert Giuseppe Faraone highlighted, the pandemic had a significant impact on the gambling habits of the majority of players.