Unless you are living under a rock, you know the presidential election is coming up in the United States. In just over a month, residents in the US will either vote for Democrat and former Vice President Joe Biden or current president and republican, Donald Trump. Both men are trying to gain support from voters in many ways, including within the gambling industry that continues to struggle today due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The candidates are reaching out in various ways to try and gain ground with this voting sector.
The Struggle
Casinos and other gambling facilities in the United States have suffered over the past months, as has ever business, due to the virus. The outbreak came on quickly and no one was prepared for the affect it would have. In the gambling industry, casinos were shut down for months due to the need for social distancing.
In some states, casinos would be closed for a month or two, while there are others that were closed as long as six months. With such continuous timeframes without operations running, employees were without work, casinos were unable to earn revenues and cities/municipalities/states that rely on such funds, received nothing.
Employees want to get back to work, but are also concerned about the risk of catching the virus. There are several concerns and issues that connect to the virus and the gambling industry. Both candidates are considering these concerns and trying to show the industry what they will do to counteract the problem.
Different Approaches
For Trump, he wants all businesses in the US to reopen as soon as possible, even though the virus is still a risk. However, Biden would propose another lockdown if the virus were to surge once again. This is sticking point that has voters split among the candidates.
On one hand, you have some employees and most operators favoring Trump’s ideology as they want to stay in business and avoid taking another hit. However, you then have many employees on Biden’s side, as they want to get back to work, but also feel that they should not be working in certain conditions as they could be at risk.
Online Gambling Legal Risk
If Trump were reelected again, it could have a negative impact on the gambling industry, especially the online sector. The Department of Justice under Trump has already presented arguments based on restrictions for online betting in the country.
The first term of Trump saw the Department of Justice opposing the rights of states to offer online gambling. While such efforts are failing in the courts, if Trump were re-elected, it could see a resurgence in the effort to stop iGaming.
For many states, online gambling has been how the casino/poker/sports betting industries have continued to thrive. Take New Jersey and Pennsylvania for example. Both have done well to continue bringing in revenues from all three sectors due to legal online gambling. If that were to be taken away, even more losses would be seen in the states.
Trump’s office has continued to fight the Wire Act, which allows online gambling to take place, while Biden is opposed to added restrictions that are unnecessary to the sector. The varying stance should provide a swaying point for some voters.
All of this plays a role in what individuals involved in the gaming sector will do when it comes to voting this November. It is unclear as to which side the employees and operators are leaning towards. We should see a larger push over the next few weeks by the candidates as they try to gain support from this important demographic.
