Danish Gambling Hall Shutdown Extended
Following the extension of novel coronavirus (Covid-19) restrictions in Denmark, the Danish government has announced that all casinos and gambling halls across the country must remain shut until April 5th at the very earliest. This move follows a similar temporary shutdown period which began in December 2020, with physical venues continuing to be shut ever since.
All of Denmark’s casinos and physical gambling halls must remain shut until at least April 5th, 2021, as part of the country’s extended restrictions aimed at stemming the spread of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19). ©KRiemer/Pixabay
Continued Spread of Virus Dashed Hopes for Early 2021 Reopening
All of Denmark’s physical gambling hall locations will remain shut until April 5th at the very earliest, even as other sectors of the economy and everyday life begin to open up again, as part of the country’s latest strategy to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) virus.
The country’s gambling venues initially shut on a temporary basis in December 2020, in response to the government extending national Covid-19 restrictions until February 28th, 2021.
There were subsequent aims to reopen sectors of life and the economy in early 2021, though those hopes have been dashed as the spread of the virus showed no significant signs of slowing down.
Denmark also commenced its vaccination program in early 2021 and, along with neighboring Sweden, is considering introducing a digital vaccination certificate to its citizens in order to make life easier and more seamless once the country begins to open up in significant ways.
Despite Relaxation of Some Measures, Gambling Halls Remain Shut
Therefore, in its latest statement, Denmark’s Health and Medicines Authority revealed that despite the relaxation of certain key measures, all casinos, gambling halls and restaurants in the country must unfortunately remain shut until April 5th.
However other sectors of society and the economy, such as non-essential shops and business along with certain visitor attractions, will be able to reopen in select regions across Denmark.
Denmark’s schools will see only certain year groups being permitted to return to class — and only then depending on the region.
Travel into Denmark continues to be restricted, with the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs extending its advice against all non-essential travel until April 5th in efforts to guarantee the country’s safe reopening, as well as to avoid the further spread of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19).
These travel restrictions, along with all other remaining measures carried over from the previous lockdown period, will continue to be in effect until early April at the earliest.
Previous Lockdown Period Began in December 2020
As Denmark’s gambling venues and casinos continue to see closed doors and empty halls well into the spring, the country’s previous (and in some ways current) lockdown began in early December 2020.
The Spillemyndigheden, also known as the Danish Gaming Authority, announced in December that all land-based gambling venues in 18 municipalities across Denmark would have to temporarily close from December 9th.
The temporary closures came as a result of new government measures aimed at stemming a rise in novel coronavirus (Covid-19) cases in the small Scandinavian country.
As of the 9th December 2020, all casinos, physical gambling halls and restaurants in the Greater Copenhagen area, Aarhus, Odense and several areas within the Sjælland region were thereby forced to close.
38 Danish municipalities in total were affected by the state’s stricter lockdown measures, with particular attention being paid to regions where infection rates were particularly high.
It was also at this point in time when Denmark’s government said it would simultaneously extend all national measures against the spread of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) until at least February 28th, 2021.
Casinos and gambling halls were not the only victims here: all restaurants, bars, cafes, cinemas and theaters were similarly shuttered, while school children in grade 5 and up were sent home.
Furthermore, all public sector workers in non-essential businesses were made to work from home, while private companies were encouraged to ask their employees to now also pivot to working from home.
Danish Gambling Revenue Sank by 5% During Q1 2020
As with many gambling markets across all of Europe, Denmark has faced a particularly challenging year due to the global spread of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19).
In May 2020, the Danish Gambling Authority, or the Spillemyndigheden, reported a fairly significant decrease in overall gambling revenue in Denmark for the first quarter of 2020.
The Danish regulator announced that the market had experienced a revenue decrease of 5% when compared to the same period in the preceding year.
The overall amount of money generated in the Danish gambling market for both online and land-based gambling decreased to DKK1.53 billion in Q1 2020, which is equivalent to roughly €205.7 million.
The second-largest contributor here was, perhaps unsurprisingly, online casinos, representing DKK555.1 million of the revenue from the market.
While the impact of Covid-19 measures undoubtedly had an impact on physical gambling such as casinos, the Danish Gambling Authority nevertheless reported a surprising decline in the online gambling rate during the first quarter of 2020.
The only rises related to online gambling in Denmark as reported by the Spillemyndigheden were in the weekly online casino revenue.
On average this grew by 2% in Q1 2020 when compared to the same period in the previous year — with one week being as high as a 3% increase compared to Q1 2019.
