The closure of major US land-based gaming venues and cancellation of live sport has sparked a 100 per cent rise in internet searches for "online casino" across North America, BonusFinder.com research can reveal.
The research was carried out using Google Trends from February to the end of March this year and uncovered a sharp spike in players searching for "online casino" following land-based venues switching off slot machines and sports events being rescheduled.
The tipping point came on March 12 when more US players searched for "online casino" than "sports betting", with numbers doubling in the following two weeks.
Since the repeal of PASPA in August 2018, 17 US states have regulated sports betting with only five, including Delaware, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, opening up igaming.
Combined sports betting and online casino handle across those states was more than $1.7bn in February 2020.
