"The demand for online products and services has only grown since the onset of quarantine"

What are your first concepts and insights regarding the impact the coronavirus pandemic is having on the gaming industry globally? What effects, learnings or trends have you identified so far in that sense?

There isn’t a single area of our lives that hasn’t been affected by the ongoing coronavirus epidemic. The sports industry was one of the first to take preventative measures to combat the spread of this deadly virus, as events involving mass gatherings were called off and stadiums closed their gates to fans. It goes without saying that the situation is terrible as COVID-19 continues to claim many lives, but taking timely preventative measures has helped slow the spread of this virus, although we’ve yet to reach the peak. This is exactly why 1xBet advises all its customers to follow the World Health Organization’s recommended precautions, to stay at home and avoid contact with others. In the meantime, we will do everything we can to make passing the time in quarantine as enjoyable as possible for our customers. 

What's your approach to this global crisis, in order to reduce damages and even leverage the shift to online business? What resources are you turning to?

The demand for online products and services has only grown since the onset of quarantine as the overwhelming majority of punters are now stuck at home. In order to keep our customers entertained, we are working tirelessly to provide them with engaging content on the 1xBet website. Consequently, we haven’t been hit that hard, despite a sudden sharp reduction in the number of sports events taking place around the world.

What role is the land-based segment shutdown playing, and specially the major sports events cancellation? What are the alternatives for sports betting you are working on?

Whilst the number of betting markets has been significantly reduced due to the postponement of most sports events, there’s a still plenty to enjoy on the 1xBet site. You can place bets on sports events that are still taking place, politics, the weather and we also have a very wide selection of esports markets. What’s more, our site also features an extensive library of slots, casino and poker games, as well as many more online gambling products. 

What are the main demands or concerns you've been receiving from your customers/partners since the outbreak?

In addition to the majority of sporting events, which, unfortunately, there aren’t that many of at the moment, our customers have unlimited access to the entertainment content our site has to offer. Our customers have slots, live casino, lotteries, poker and much, much more at their fingertips, so we haven’t had any major requests from our customers or partners and our Customer Support team swiftly deals with any issues that arise.

What precautions and further actions are in place in terms of compliance and CSR?

1xBet has taken extra measures to deal with the ongoing pandemic and made additional resources for individual protection available, but we haven’t made any major changes to our offices’ opening hours. We’re continuing to work as normal to ensure our customers can enjoy our services without interruption.

How would you assess the existing resources, approach and measures taken by regultators, governments or other state institutions in the jurisdictions where you have operations? Do you see the need for further regulatory actions to be taken? Could you mention similarities and differences between those gaming jurisdictions?

1xBet is following the WHO’s guidelines on preventative measures to stop the spread of coronavirus. We thoroughly study information on the fight against COVID-19 and methods to stop it spreading in the regions we operate in. Then, we select tried-and-tested preventative measures that are effective and follow medical experts’ advice.

What are in your opinion the possible scenarios this could bring for the sector, and your company in particular, in the mid-long term?

Our company will stick to the plans that we made before the COVID-19 outbreak at the start of the year. The current situation is awful and has made its mark on every aspect of our lives, not just on our online business. We hope that the COVID-19 epidemic soon becomes a thing of the past so that we can get back to how things were.