While a full recovery from the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic will take time, it suggests that there is significant pent-up demand for casino gambling that will likely be among the main beneficiaries during the holidays. hungry tourists start traveling again

Getting back to normal will take longer than people think. Vaccination of countries in Europe and North America will take time. The Isle of Man has already canceled its summer motorcycle racing festival, the TT, for the second year in a row. The authorities clearly think that there will be risks for it to continue, despite the fact that they have purchased enough vaccines to serve the entire population.

The best chance for the economy to recover, if everything goes according to plan, which is no guarantee these days, would be from April.

A friend of mine who works for one of the big banks in the UK tells me that they are full of money.

“It is not surprising that the UK government has prohibited them from paying dividends and their customers have not spent on cars, vacations and eating in restaurants. Savings increased £ 113 billion from January 2020 to October 2020 ”

Goldman Sachs has said that the recovery in the US, now a major internet gambling market, will be significant and points to economic growth of 5.9%. Consumers and businesses have amassed $ 3.5 trillion. Some forecasters say we will return to the roar of the 1920s. The last major influenza-like pandemic was in 1918 and lasted for two years. So you understand the importance of comparing now with then.

Where will this money go? Mainly in what has been denied, vacations, restaurants and some will continue to play, which represents less than 1% of the world economy. As the economy grows, so will the growth of gambling services. Las Vegas will be a big beneficiary, as will racetracks, sports betting will grow as stadiums fill with fans and casinos will be those that cater to locals, especially tourist properties that combine gambling with vacations.

Suddenly everyone will want everything, and this will create supply bottlenecks, leading to higher prices and higher profit margins. The stock market looks to the future, the Dow and the S & P500 are at highs. Valuations are justified if everything goes according to plan; otherwise, it will be a major correction.

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* Warwick Bartlett, Director of Global Betting and Gaming Consultants GBGC, Isle of Man