2020 has been a year for the history books and it shook up our world as we knew it. This year is finally coming to an end and even though some of our struggles are going to continue to 2021, there is a light at the end of the tunnel that will allow us to live a bit easier again. This year has felt both long and slow, and at the same time, it’s a bit hard to believe it’s over. To look back at this year we have collected some of the things that happened during the months of 2020, in the gambling world. This is 2020 from our perspective and on a bigger scale:
January
The new year started without us knowing what was about to come. At ADM we were getting prepared for some of this year’s big events, we even created a website to promote UEFA Euro 2020. We also created our ADM Instagram page to show you some behind the scenes of our everyday life and spread awareness on what we do!
https://www.instagram.com/applieddigitalmedia/
Simultaneously we were keeping an eye on changes in the industry and how it would affect us and our markets. One thing that was noticeable was that some gaming companies started to exit the UK market to focus on other more profitable markets.
February
At the beginning of February, we went to London to attend the iGB Affiliate London conference. Way back when didn’t have any confirmed Covid cases in Malta we decided it was still safe to travel and had three exciting days at one of the biggest conferences. By making connections, talking to co-workers and listening to many interesting seminars we came home with new knowledge, ready to take on new ideas and collaborations.
The coronavirus and lockdown-panic then reached Malta and people started stocking up on food leaving the shelves in the supermarkets empty.
March
By March the news was all about Corona and how it was spreading. Bottles of antibacterial gel were now flying off the shelves and we started to get a bit worried about the spread being in a large office with many people.
Flights from Malta to other European countries like France, Germany and Switzerland got cancelled and people arriving in Malta had to do mandatory 14 days quarantine.
We wrote a blog post about working from home – read it here. And by mid-March, we, along with a lot of other companies on the island, had moved to work from home, which shook up our normal routines and working lives. It was a new reality that we had to adjust to.
UEFA Euro 2020 and Eurovision 2020 got cancelled, and sport betting companies started to feel the panic of their businesses losing money.
April
Rules regarding online casino gaming started to get stricter once more countries went into lockdown. For example, the UKGC restricted bonuses of any kind for a while. And in Belgium weekly deposit limits were set for the online casino industry.
Since almost all sports events got cancelled due to the virus and the risk of spread, other alterative sports got a huge boost at betting companies and online casinos with a sportsbook. One of these options was e-sports.
May
In Sweden restrictions against the gambling industry were tightened and a deposit limit for all players was introduced, among with a bonus restriction of only 100 SEK. This was done as a response to rising numbers of gambling addictions according to the government.
June
We slowly got used to working from home even though the days seemed to blend together, suddenly it was summer and after a month of lockdown, some shops started to open their doors again. Malta still didn’t have that many cases but it was mandatory to wear masks when entering any shop or public building.
The airport started offering flights to other European countries again.
July
Some sports events came back to life and many gambling sites saw a rise in players who had been missing sports gambling. As a response, we updated our site bet builder.
All in all, the summer months seemed to blend together but some of us managed to travel and visit family for a bit.
August
Malta started hosting summer parties, something that would cause a huge spike in positive cases. It also led to Malta being blacklisted from many other countries in terms of travel restrictions. Soon we were back with stricter restrictions.
September
After months of working from home, the thought of working at an office started to seem like an alternate universe. With cases rising we also realized that we wouldn’t be going back to the office anytime soon and the working from home set up would continue for the rest of the year.
October
Even though we were trekking through new territory and had to change the way we work during this year, ADM showed a very strong result. Especially for Q3. At ADM we are involved in all the markets and we are proud of keeping up the numbers during this year.
November
The US election became a big hit for betting companies and after a long process, Joe Biden was declared the next president of The United States.
We continued to work against our Q4 goals which meant launching some brand protection sites, building and optimizing our current sites and finding ways to evolve with the markets and the overall business.
We focused on updating some of our best sites, for example, onlinepoker.se for the Swedish market. And we started experimenting with influencer marketing for some campaigns in Finland.
December
The final month of 2020 is here! It has been an interesting year with many challenges, both in all our private lives and work wise. But we have learned a lot by having to adapt to all the changes thrown at us. All in all, it has been a good year – at times it seemed hopeless, but we pulled through.
Some challenges still lie ahead but the gambling industry really came together and stood tall during times of hardship. Here’s hoping for an easier 2021! There is much to look forward to.