For almost a year, the entire world has been dealing with a global pandemic. Everything in our lives has changed: the way we work or study, the way we communicate, and – not surprisingly – the way we play mobile poker.
At first, we all hoped that social distancing and quarantine will be temporary solutions and that soon enough, life will return to normal. However, it becomes clear that the world won't get rid of COVID-19 that easily. Various industries, and some social norms, have already undergone some major changes, and we might have to adjust to a new reality soon– even if the immediate danger of getting sick will pass.
What has changed in recent months? What kind of changes will stick? And how will online and mobile poker look in future years? Let's take a look at how the potential consequences the pandemic might leave is with.
Changes in Consumer Behavior
During the initial months of quarantine and social distancing, consumer's spending rates dropped significantly, as people felt their financial situation wasn't secure. However, once the situation began to stabilize a bit, so did the market.
But since July, a second COVID wave has hit several countries, which also affected various industries. But how exactly? McKinsey & Company published the results of a survey they conducted in 13 countries, which helps us understand where things stand at the moment.
In many European countries and in the US, the population seems a bit pessimistic about their country's ability to recover economically after the pandemic. However, in Asian countries, like China and India, it seems that the locals are a bit more optimistic.
Not surprisingly, those who had less faith in their country's future economic state showed different spending intentions than those in the mentioned Asian countries. In the US, Germany, and Italy, people reported that they intend to spend money mostly on essentials like groceries and household supplies while cutting back on non-essential products.
The report also shows that not all consumers have returned to their pre-COVID schedules and activities. In the US only 36% are already engaged in their regular activities, while in the UK 27% reported the same. On the other hand, in China, 81% of the participants reported they already returned to their previous schedules.
And in those countries where restrictions are still in place, people reported they tend to leave the house only to engage in important activities. That includes shopping for necessities, meeting family members, and going to work. However, not everyone leaves the house for fun activities like going to the gym, traveling to distant locations, or going to a hair/nail salon.
How Does it Affect Mobile Poker?
The provided data serves to show that people are more inclined to spend their time indoors, even if restrictions have been slightly less severe as of late. Therefore, the demand for indoor entertainment still remains high.
However, we can learn from the report that people are more careful about where they spend their money. Therefore, even though the gambling market is thriving at the moment, in future months, people might be less interested in placing big bets while the future remains uncertain - and that's OK.
There is no knowing exactly how things will pan out, but it seems as if online and mobile poker will remain as popular as they have been in recent months. People still need a diversion from the day-to-day and with the possibilities of those diversions severely limited, online and mobile poker come out on top. It's relaxing and fun, it's available 24/7, it's convenient, has low and high stakes....in short, it can appeal to everyone.
In Conclusion
Even though there is no way of predicting how exactly the world will look like in five or ten years, experts try to understand how the newest pandemic might influence our lives in years to come. What do you think the future holds for us?