Italian sports betting and gaming technology company Newgioco Group announced it would start re-opening its retail outlets across the country, after the national government eased the country-wide lockdown order starting Monday, May 4.
Back in March, Italy became the first country in the world to issue a state-wide lockdown order as an enforcement measure on its population of 60 million, in an attempt to contain the outbreak of the coronavirus.
Since now there is a continuous improvement in both fatality and new virus cases, the Italian government decided to lift some of the restrictions, letting offices as well as some businesses, including construction and manufacturing to re-open.
PPE for Everyone
The easing of the lockdown measures prompted Newgioco Group to announce it would begin to re-open its sites, starting this week, albeit implementing a range of strict measures to make sure the business abides by the social distancing restrictions still in place.
Newgioco’s retail outlets will have personal protection equipment /PPE/ being distributed, to provide for both customers and staff members access to hand gel, face masks and gloves, all of it free of charge for the clients. The country allowed its residents to have walks outside of their homes but wearing a mask is obligatory.
“This is an important economic commitment on the part of our company to share our responsibilities towards reopening the economy in countries where we operate. We consider the role that our sales agents and retail vendors play as brand ambassadors to be fundamental.”
Alessandro Marcelli, COO, Newgioco
Businesses Bracing for Changes
Mr. Marcelli pointed out it was very unlikely for the businesses to remain the same after the health crisis subsides, changes expected at all levels. He reiterated the company’s stance that re-opening of its betting shops should happen with the strong concern for preventing any further spread of the infection.
In March, after Newgioco had closed down all of its 150 betting shops across the country, the company issued an investor update, warning that the developments related to the health crisis and the implementation of the virus containment measures could have material impact on its revenue.
Newgoico’s projections were encompassing land-based facilities closure to continue until April 3, but since the number of virus cases spiked further on, the period was extended, making the company’s impact projections obsolete.
With the lack of sports events, many sports betting operators turned to unpopular solutions, and last month Newgioco announced it started accepting wagers on esports. The mass cancellations of sporting events resulted into a drop of its sports betting revenue and Newgioco turned to esports looking to fill the void.