The coronavirus pandemic of 2020 has led to several major changes throughout the United States, and the sports betting industry has been largely affected. Almost all of the casinos in the country have been closed for more than two months, and that has closed a large number of retail sportsbooks as well.
The states that offer mobile sports betting have been able to survive the pandemic by accepting online customers, but even that market has been slowed down. Live sports in the United States and around the world have been canceled over the last two months, but things are starting to turn around.
Mobile sports betting applications have saved numerous states throughout the country, and they have also kept sports betting companies afloat. DraftKings and FanDuel are two of the biggest online sportsbook operators, and they have seen a large number of app downloads since the pandemic began.
Even though the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament was canceled in March, online sports betting operators saw an increase of 18 percent in mobile sports betting downloads. Users were looking to cash in on March Madness, but they were unable to place any bets on one of the most popular events in the United States.
Mobile sportsbook application downloads decreased by more than 12 percent in April, and that was due to the lack of live sports taking place in the US. That sharp decline was expected, but online sportsbook operators were not ready for the massive growth in May.
According to Thomas Allen, a Morgan Stanley analyst, mobile sportsbook app downloads increased by more than 200 percent during May. Bettors were looking for new ways to bet with retail sportsbooks shut down due to the coronavirus, and they were also expecting live sports to return soon.
DraftKings and FanDuel saw the most mobile sportsbook application downloads in March, which solidifies their stance as leaders in the online sports betting market. Fox Bet, MGM, and William Hill also saw a large number of mobile app downloads, but they are still chasing DraftKings and FanDuel as the leaders of online sports betting.
Charity golf matches started taking place in May, and that is another big reason for the large number of mobile app downloads during the month. Bettors are also being offered plenty of international or obscure sports to bet on, and they are anxious to get their bets in.
The state of Colorado also joined the sports betting industry during May, and they allowed bettors to sign up for sportsbooks exclusively online. These rules offered from Colorado played a huge role in sports bettors downloading a sportsbook app and registering to place some bets.
Apps Could Benefit From Baseball
Mobile sportsbook apps are starting to have plenty of events to bet on, but the companies could benefit from the return of Major League Baseball. The summertime is usually reserved for betting on the baseball games, but it’s unclear if the league will ever be able to get their season up and running.
The National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League have announced plans to resume their 2019-20 seasons, and that could also provide a huge boost to mobile sportsbook apps. Baseball saves sportsbooks during the summer months because there are games that are played each day, and they take place throughout the day.
DraftKings and FanDuel have started offering free-play contests to their customers in an effort to bring in new business. These contests offer a chance to win real prizes without the threat of losing any money.
