A third national lockdown has forced gambling businesses in England to shut down yet again. An increase in positive coronavirus cases led to the new lockdown, with all land-based betting facilities affected. On January 4, Prime Minister Boris Johnson revealed the new lockdown that includes a stay-at-home order. This order is similar to the one from March, where people can only leave their homes when required.

Essential Businesses Only

With the new order, only essential businesses in England are allowed to remain open. People can only go outside of their homes to shop at supermarkets for groceries as well as pharmacies for medication. Religious facilities are also allowed to remain open. People are banned from gathering socially between other households.

Because businesses are limited to those that are essential, restaurants, pubs, and gyms are closed. Casinos, betting shops, and bingo halls are also on the closed list. Schools have switched over to online learning.

At the beginning of this week, over 58,000 new cases were recorded. This was the 7^th day that over 50,000 cases of the virus were confirmed.

Professional Sports Continue

Surprisingly, the government decided to allow professional sports to continue throughout the lockdown. The English Premier League and other leagues will be able to continue their schedule. Sports continuation is good as operators can earn from online betting; however, betting shops and casinos will be hit hard by the latest closure.

The majority of operators just reopened in December after a second lockdown took place in November. Betting facilities first closed in late March and reopened in mid-June when the virus first became a problem. Casinos were not allowed to reopen until August during the first lockdown. The industry as a whole has lost out on millions in revenues due to the continued closures.

The current closure will continue through February 15, with officials reviewing the virus yet again to determine what to do next.