The UK lockdown ends on December 2nd with sports betting and casinos reopening

The UK will take a targeted approach to reopening operations, and regions classified as Tier 3 will keep their operations - including casinos and sports betting stores - closed.

National Lockdown by the end of December 2

Sports betting and gambling sector in Great Britain will make another attempt to return to normal after the prime minister Boris Johnson announced in Monday November 23 that England would leave the national blockade on December 2.

The lockdown that began on November 5 and resulted in betting shops and casinos being closed will now allow interested businesses to begin reopening in tier 2 regions.

However, which regions will resume operations and under which operations will depend solely on the number of coronavirus infections, the reproductive rate and the capacity of local departments National Health System (NHS) to deal with infections.

The government will introduce and restrict measures of varying strength to best address the situation as it sees fit. The biggest winners, of course, are the bookmaker shops that had to be massively shut down, and the Betting and Games Council (BGC) from has long been against this move.

Casinos and betting shops that are still located in regions that the government deems necessary for closure will suffer again. Exemptions will take place during restrictions on level 3, with opening considered on level 2.

Fans are coming back to the stadiums

Another great revelation given by Prime Minister Johnson was that fans will be able to return to the stadiums and participate in live events. This is great news for the country's dried up sports base, which has been longing to return to the stadiums for months.

Since the closure was introduced in March, no live attendance at sporting events has been allowed, no backing up for goalscorer receipts and costing sports clubs a pretty penny. Live attendance will be restored with limited performance.

The halls can accommodate up to 50% in their capacity, but not more than 4,000 fans in Level 1 outdoor stadiums. Only 2,000 spectators will be allowed to attend Level 2, at least until covid-19 cases begin to decline rapidly.

Meanwhile, the hall facilities will have to limit live attendance to just 50% or 1000 fans whichever is lower. The government will continue to use the levels to determine which regions can be reopened and which should remain closed until at least March Said the Prime Minister, discussing the measures with colleagues in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Betting and Games Council Satisfied with the development

BGC was pleased with the news, long advocating a more targeted approach to business closures, specifically using scientific data, to prove when downtime is necessary.

BGC has long been of the opinion that in the case of bookmakers and casinos, both types of activities were able to fully guarantee the safety of customers and reduce the risk of disease transmission. However, BGC and partners are stepping up their efforts, said BGC CEO Michael Dugher :

"In addition to the stringent measures against Covid that sports betting is already in place, our members have agreed to further restrictions to limit any chances of transmitting Covid-19 to their venues."

General director of BGC Michael Dugher

Dugher continued to insist that the government would be wrong to demand the closure of casinos and bookmakers in tier 3 regions, calling instead for an assessment of the real risk of disease transmission in such locations.

He reminded the government that casinos are second to none in terms of their ability to keep customers and staff safe. On the other hand, Dugher and BGC were satisfied with the decision to extend the curfew to one hour 23:00 which would give companies a little more time to generate turnover.

Dugher is not the only executive who has warned of premature company closures and welcomed the decision to allow attendance. Nick Rust, British Horse Racing Authority CEO said the new guidelines have made it easier for the industry to start generating revenue.

He was joined by the head of the Racecourse Association, David Armstrong, which in a recent government communiqué saw a way to overcome the pandemic. Even a limited attendance is welcome. Meanwhile, the country has decided to target sports betting partnerships that BGC believes are important to ensuring the survival of sports teams.