Howard Riback: The Growth of the Gambling World
$5,000 Welcome Bonus
Pre-pandemic. ( remember those days?) Gambling was a huge business. A business infested with players and addicts.
Life through the pandemic. Gambling huge-R , with no slowing down. More addicts. Many, many more addicts.
Post (almost?) pandemic and gambling? Huge-RRRR, GGGRRR…..
This train has no breaks. This monster of a business is taking new customers from EVERYWHERE. The young and the old. The players, the addicts and those that WILL become addicted.
It’s all statistics. People will become unintentionally hooked.
The gambling world has an estimated (W.H.O. 2021) growth expectation averaging 10-12% through 2027. What the ****…???
The world was falling apart? Restaurants were closing? Retail was a dirty six-letter word. Commercial real estate was papered up, boarded up, closed up and shut down. Cruise lines, almost sunk. Hotels were not the place for travellers, because there was no travel.
Casinos — closed and reopened. And reopen they did. When you’re a global industry of more than USF $500 billion, mmmmm, you MUST be doing something right. You bet !!
But. But. But.
Online gaming has ballooned to a whopping USF$52 billion (CND $77 billion) biz, world-wide. These aren’t telephone numbers, these are “telephone book” numbers. Ask your parents. The pandemic threw the world back indoors looking for something (s) new and exciting to do.
People were desperate for new activities, new adventures, new anything ….. as long as it didn’t include the words COVID, vaccines or Donald Trump. (please)
Seriously, 1-2 hours per week of The Bachelor/ Bachelorette only goes so far. You can only build so many robots from Lego pieces, and if the world baked anymore bread- Weight Watchers would have a WEIGHTING list to join (good one, Howard).
Dr. Fauci was great to watch. Dr Gupta totally fascinating is beyond charming.
The world thirsted for an industry willing to offer excitement, offer financial dreams and thrills. The online gaming industry was there. The right time at the right place with the right addictive product. People threw money and credit card info at their screens as fast as they could type. And type they did.
With more cell phones sold, more tablets and computers sold, with more disposable income and free time, with so many brilliantly bright and colourfully displayed graphics abound, there was no shortage of well marketed gaming sites available. New ones were popping up daily. Choices were anywhere and everywhere.
Selling masks and ventilators the last 15 months, hse been quite the business. I hope the selling curve on those products takes a dive like Michael Phelps.
The gambling / gaming business is going North, as in the Kardashian kid.
Money meets money
Howard Riback is a Montréal-based therapist (gambling specialist), law enforcement liaison, IMAQ provincial mediator, and addiction guru. He is known by many as The Cleaner. If it needs fixing, Howard’s your guy. Call 514-659-5621 or email howard@theribackgroup.com
