ECA reports more than 20,000 European casino jobs lost in Covid-19 pandemic

The European Casino Association (ECA) called for further support for the land-based industry after releasing figures showing, in the 900 ECA casinos in Europe, staff numbers are set to fall from more than 70,000 at the start of 2020 to around 50,000.

The latest survey of ECA members revealed that 70% of European casinos remain closed due to restrictions introduced in response to the pandemic.

The ECA pointed out that the worst affected casinos, such as those in Sweden, have now been closed for an entire year.

On average, land-based casinos lost an average of over 37% of normal operating days throughout 2020, according to the survey, while European land-based operators have seen revenues fall on average by over 50% in the last year.

The association said that the majority of its members still do not have a clear schedule for the official reopening of their businesses in 2021.

“This is the deepest trough the European land-based casino industry has ever experienced,” said ECA chairman, Per Jaldung.

“The financial impact of the pandemic on the land-based casino sector has been extreme, and these numbers show the economic realities of Covid-19 on the European land-based casino sector.”

“We are under no illusion that the industry can return to ‘business as usual’ any time soon,” Jaldung concluded.

ECA secretary general Hermann Pamminger added that: “The relaxation and tightening of numerous lockdowns in 2020 demonstrated the ability of the land-based sector to safely and responsibly return to business.”

“Our employees cannot wait for the day business is back to normal and they can once again welcome guests to their casino and entertainment venues, but our industry continues to need support to achieve this during an extraordinarily challenging period.”

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