We now live in a time when several major sporting events are canceled or postponed. For gambling companies with a Swedish gambling license, which invest heavily in betting, this has been perceived as a threat. But in the absence of football and hockey, other things are of interest to punters. Namely trot and poker.
For companies around the world, the new decade has had a rough start. Not least when it comes to restaurants and retail. It is commonly said that the entertainment industry gets stronger in times of crisis - this is when the need for entertainment is particularly great - this is still true, but with some modification.
At the time of writing, things were going well for certain areas of the entertainment industry; those focused on entertainment that can be consumed directly at home. Among these, we find, for example, various streaming and gaming players. Not least, some of our Swedish innovators have been doing well. For example, investment company Angler Gaming, which invests in various gaming sites, has increased its share price by 47 percent since 17 March 2020, while game developers NetEnt have increased their share price by 46 percent since the same date. Internationally, we see streaming giant Netflix continues to gain ground in the streaming market.
The growing interest in lynx and poker
Comparison site Spelaspel reports that they note a clear drop in traffic when it comes to classic popular sports such as football, basketball and hockey, but they also note greater demand when it comes to lynx and poker among their Swedish visitors. Whether the increased interest in lynx and the classic table game will match the loss from the canceled sporting events is probably too early to answer, but now Swedes are still exploring what can replace the absence of their favorite pastime.
Is it time for a poker revival?
We have a long tradition of trotting in Sweden, and there has been a lot of interest. Even poker is far from a direct novelty for us Swedes - most of us probably remember big Texas Hold'em boom in the 2000s - but it's a long time since all households have stocked up on poker chips. Given what Spelaspel can present, it's possible that poker is experiencing a renaissance now that traditional sports are becoming under-represented. The fact that many popular poker games can also be played online speaks in its favor.
All in all, it would be a relatively logical addition. On the one hand, Texas Hold'em has a devoted fan base hosting live matches, on the other hand, it is a cash game where one has great opportunities to influence the outcome of the game, not least when bluffing allows one to win. with no winning cards in hand. It's also a social game, where much of the game consists of reading your opponents and trying to communicate during matches to maintain your 'poker face'. The fact that today you can play poker using live streaming, where you see the appropriate dealer, adds to the realism and sociability.
How the Swedish gaming industry is doing remains to be seen, but so far interest has not waned. Instead, Swedes are finding other things in the bookmakers' offerings as a supplement to betting on major sporting events.
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