Australia and South Africa are not out of hot water yet after the governments in both countries forced land-based casinos to temporarily close! (Photo by Laura Cros on Unsplash)
The Covid-19 pandemic is still not yet under control and in most countries, there are still strict restrictions on civilians and businesses. And then we still do not seem to see an end in sight as South African and Australian casinos temporarily close once again. After months of closures and finally being able to reopen, having to close once again is having a detrimental negative effect on the casino industries in both countries.
The second and third waves are happening all across the globe, making it feel like the trauma will never end. Heavily vaccinated countries are easing their restrictions slowly, with several countries almost back to normal, giving hope to the rest of the world’s population. Businesses have been hit hard financially. Staff have had to be sacrificed in order to keep the business afloat, and in some of the worst cases, the business has had to close its doors forever. The casino business has been hurt no less than any other business. High maintenance costs, including rental fees and staff salaries, mean that being forced to close the doors temporarily has been crippling for the business.
Recent temporary closure announcements across the world pile pressure on livelihoods as well as the casino businesses themselves as the industry takes a hit on a global scale. Meanwhile, online casinos in South Africa and those that target Australian casino players will predictably see a rise in gambling once again – especially crypto casinos popular in Australia!
South Africa Taking Heavy Action
The South African gambling scene has been popular for many years and is now considered part of South African culture. The casinos employ a high number of people from across the country and provide entertainment and leisure for millions more. South Africa has had a terrible time in trying to combat the virus, with different variants occurring, the task seems to only be getting more difficult. This week, President Cyril Ramaphosa, made public the struggles that the country is currently facing, and has announced measures to try to get a grip on the spread of the virus. Unfortunately for casinos, they have yet again fallen victim to restrictions and must close their door from Monday 28th June until at least July 11th. The 14-day period is in hope that the government can try and help to get the virus under control. They are not the only industries to be harmed, as the President also announced that businesses such as nightclubs, gyms and restaurants need to be closed for the same period of time. Schools too will be closed with the President taking a zero-socialising approach to this lockdown.
With land-based casinos closing once more, there is the option for casino players to look for online casinos in South Africa. There is a growing number of Curacao and MGA licensed casinos packed with live dealer games and video slots that give players a wider selection of casino games compared to their land-based counterparts!
Repeat Restrictions Causing Unrest Down Under
Individual Governments on every continent have been subject to scrutiny with the way they have handled closures. It seems that whichever way they had approached, or are approaching the covid-19 war, civilians believe that their respective governments could have done better. The Australian government has faced a severe backlash as its approach has been somewhat controversial. Even with a relatively low number of cases, the restrictions have been harsh. A country that relies heavily on socialising has seen its citizens heavily restricted with no entertainment venue open.
And it seems like the government is not worried about that criticism because this week, Australia has forced most casinos to close because there were 2 new covid cases in Queensland. Star Entertainment establishments will have to shut their doors until at least 9th July because of yet another government intervention. The fight against covid-19 rages on, but the Australian people remain defiant against vaccination, with many of the population unwilling to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine.
It is unclear what the near future holds, but government reports suggest that it could be almost another year before all adults have received even their first jab, and with cases no matter how low cropping up, citizens can expect the harshest measures!
