How different events influence the iGaming market

The COVID-19 pandemic, IPL 2024, and political events have impacted the iGaming industry. Blask tracks market declines during lockdowns and post-lockdown growth. Major events like sports and political unrest drive market changes.

In the world, there is always something happening — whether it is good or bad, significant or minor, local or global. For instance, we have the COVID-19 pandemic, political upheavals, and sporting events.

Let us delve into how various events impact the iGaming industry and examine Blask’s opportunities for a comprehensive analysis of how these occurrences influence the growth or decline of the market.

The COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on iGaming.

Debates continue regarding the necessity of lockdowns, the justification for restrictions on freedom of movement, and whether the virus was truly as dangerous as portrayed. Nevertheless, what happened has happened.

We can identify two significant consequences!

Let’s examine the Blask Index charts for Poland, Tanzania, and India — three countries on three different continents.

Market decline during lockdowns.

In all three cases, we observe a decline in February and March, followed by a record-low Blask Index in April 2020, precisely during the peak of fear and uncertainty.

It can be concluded that fear and a sense of uncertainty outweighed the desire for entertainment.

Perhaps people allocated their savings to stockpiling groceries or medical expenses, leaving no budget for betting and gambling.

Rapid growth of the iGaming market post-lockdown.

In the summer and autumn of 2020, as restrictions began to ease and people adapted to the new situation, the economy gradually started to stabilize, along with a renewed interest in the iGaming industry.

However, we are witnessing not just a return to previous levels but a remarkable surge! What factors contributed to this?

• People, having been confined at home, sought new forms of entertainment. Some built gaming PCs or purchased PlayStations, while others turned to online betting.
  
• Remote work from home saved commuting costs and simultaneously freed up a few hours of time.
  
• Those who previously visited physical casinos tried online gambling.
  
• This period also saw an active integration of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology, simplifying payments for iGaming products.

Once, in an article discussing various forms of iGaming entertainment, we noted that if an event carries any level of uncertainty, bookmakers are quick to accept bets on the outcome. A similar situation occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, with some iGaming brands beginning to accept bets on pandemic-related events: whether new restrictions would be imposed, who would be the first to invent a vaccine, and when it would all come to an end.

iGaming marketers adeptly harnessed these trends and elevated the entire industry to a new level!

Sports events and their impact on iGaming.

The Blask team conducted a detailed study on the impact of IPL 2024 (Indian Premier League 2024) on the iGaming entertainment market in India. We observed a day-by-day increase in interest and recorded changes in brand positions.

For more details, you can refer to the link: IPL 2024 impact on Indian iGaming — Blask Team Analysis.

In this article, we will explore the IPL’s influence in a more superficial manner.

The Blask Index chart for India shows two notable peaks: in April 2023 and May 2024, coinciding with the IPL events.

What conclusions can be drawn if you represent an iGaming brand?

• Major sporting events significantly contribute to market growth, attracting new players while engaging existing ones even further.
• After the events conclude, metrics are likely to return to their usual levels. So, act quickly and capitalize on the trending topic while it’s still relevant!

With Blask, you can track changes in Blask Index during sports competitions, both for individual brands and the overall market in the country. Blask updates the data every hour, allowing you to stay on top of developments and promptly adapt your marketing campaigns to align with market realities.

💡 Read more: From Hours to Years: How Data Granularity Impacts Decision-Making in iGaming.

Soon, the Blask team will launch a new product — an events calendar. Right now, you can view changes in the Blask Index metrics and manually correlate this data with events that occurred during that time. The upcoming Calendar from Blask will do this for you! You will not only see growth, stagnation, or decline but also the events that led to those outcomes. Stay tuned!

Political events and their impact on iGaming.

In the summer of 2024, Bangladesh, one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, experienced mass protests that culminated in the Prime Minister fleeing to neighboring India.

• The bad news: during the protests, the iGaming market plummeted by more than 90%.
• The good news: the iGaming industry in Bangladesh has fully recovered.

The Blask team, in collaboration with NEXT.io, conducted a detailed study on the impact of this political event on the iGaming market in Bangladesh. We tracked the decrease in interest over the days and recorded changes in brand standings. Further details can be found in the report: Political turmoil causes Bangladesh’s iGaming downturn.

We conclude that when a country is in a state of instability, people prioritize monitoring events, relocating to safer areas, or actively participating in protests over gambling and betting.

Additionally, it is noteworthy that if political protests resolve in favor of the demonstrators, the iGaming industry quickly returns to its previous levels, as if nothing had happened. You can monitor even such fluctuations with Blask.

Blask tracks everything!

Regardless of whether an event is small or large, global or local, its effect on the iGaming industry will not go unnoticed.

Blask updates data on all known iGaming brands across each accessible country every hour, allowing you to monitor the impact of events on the market in real time. Additionally, in the future, you can compare data with events on an hourly granular level and draw insightful conclusions.

⚠️ As of January 2025, Blask is using new metrics:
Relative Market Share (RMS) → Brand’s Accumulated Power (BAP)
Estimated First-Time Deposits (eFTD) → Acquisition Power Score (APS)
Estimated Gross Gaming Revenue (eGGR) → Competitive Earning Baseline (CEB)
You can read more about the reasons for these changes here (BAP) and here (APS and CEB).

In this article, we have analyzed events solely using the Blask Index metric, which reflects public interest in iGaming entertainment. However, you can also analyze events and their consequences through financial metrics such as eFTD and eGGR, as well as delve into changes in the Relative Market Share of brands.

For example, in the chart above, we observe that IPL 2023 in India not only led to an increase in the Blask Index but also boosted the estimated First-Time Deposits metric. Consequently, we can further conclude that major sporting events indeed attract new audiences to iGaming entertainment.Frequently asked questions.

Make events work for you — not against you.

Markets rise and fall, but with the right data, every shift becomes an opportunity. Whether it’s a global pandemic, a championship final, or a political protest, Blask helps you decode market behavior in real time — across countries, brands, and player segments.

With hourly updates and granular insights, you don’t just react — you act strategically. In a world of constant change, it’s not about predicting the future. It’s about being ready for it — with Blask.

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