The Employers and Employees of the Bookmakers Companies Association in Poland have called for government help to avoid significant job losses as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

The association said it has seen the number of bets placed drop by around 60% due to the cancellation of sports across the globe. This decline is particularly after the retail bookmakers in Poland closed from 14 March.

As a result, bookmakers have seen customer spending disappear, meaning they are losing money, with no way to mitigate the shut-down.

The association said this would result in efforts to reduce fixed costs, including mass redundancies, with many operators now facing bankruptcy. The situation could result in most of the 5000 staff employed in betting shops, not to mention head office staff, risk losing their jobs, it warned.

The regulated Polish gambling industry has an annual turnover estimated at PLN7bn, of which at least PLN820m goes to the state through gambling and lottery taxes.

To avoid job losses and protect the state’s tax revenue, the association urged the Polish government to reduce gambling tax rates from 12% to 10% of turnover at least until August this year. The association also asked the government to delay the deadline for paying these taxes to September.

GAN plc has updated the market following the publication of Internet gaming and Internet sports betting financial information for the calendar month of February 2020 in Pennsylvania, by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB).

Internet Gaming Win was $19.5 million in February, reflecting an increase of 39.6% from the prior sequential month. Total Internet Sports Wagering Handle was approximately $294.1 million in February, compared to $308.6 million in January. Internet Sports Wagering Gross Revenues (after payouts) for the month of February were $10.8 million, compared to$26.7 million in January.

Internet Sports Wagering Gross Revenues may vary from month to month due to the payouts for future events occurring months after the original wager was made and unredeemed winning wagers from prior months will become deductible upon redemption in future months.

Suncity Group has announced the postponement of the launch of its Hoiana casino resort in Vietnam due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

In a press release, Alvin Chau Cheok Wa, chairman of Suncity Group Holdings, said: “In summer 2020, we will unveil Hoiana Phase 1 for the first time ever in an exclusive preview, with the grand opening now scheduled in 2021.”

He said the new timeline for the opening of the Hoiana casino resort’s first phase was “a consequence of the uncertainties” brought on by the COVID-19 crisis.

“Suncity’s investment in Vietnam is intended to stay for a very long time,” he said.

Suncity is one of the investors in the Hoiana casino scheme and according to previous filing the group’s listed business is to handle casino operations there.