Here is the kind of story American Gaming Association President Bill Miller doesn’t want us to write. Costa Rica-based PayPerHead software provider is quantifying the upsurge in Internet gambling that took off 
with Covid-19. Not only did online casinos benefit in general (185% more revenue), live-dealer play was off the charts, up 317%. It seems that housebound gamblers still hanker for personal interaction, even if via computer. Said Nate Johnson, product manager of PayPerHead, “Sportsbook software allows players to stream live dealer games on their tablets and mobile phones. Digital casinos use animation, and its cool animation. But many casino players still crave the human element. Numbers don’t lie. If you’re a PayPerHead agent that doesn’t offer a live dealer casino, add it to your offerings. Las Vegas may never be the same. And, I’ll put our dealers up against any dealer you find in a brick and mortar casino.” Fighting words, to be sure. PayPerHead-run online casinos saw live-dealer handle explode from $10 million in January to $23 million in March. There’s no telling where those numbers are now but onshore ‘Net casinos should be taking note.
* Online sports books in Indiana eked out $37 million last month, a 42% increase on April. Theoretically, $160 million more handle would have been generated in a normal month, but that presumes there’d be sports on which to bet. “In the short-term, the path to recovery is relatively straightforward. Sports must return, said analyst Dustin Gouker. “The good news is that the PGA Tour expected to start this weekend and the NBA and other major sports are closer to a return. The bottom line is that there is now a light at the end of this tunnel.” Once all was said and done, casinos kept $3 million before taxes. Bundesliga play and the resumption of NASCAR were credited with the April/May improvement. “Operators have been remarkably creative in keeping bettors engaged,” said analyst Jessica Welman, “even with fringe sports as the main attraction. There is no making up for what has been lost, but weathering the storm has always been the priority. And I think most, if not all, have been successful so far in doing that.”
Ameristar East Chicago/DraftKings led the Hoosier State in handle with $20 million. Blue Chip/FanDuel was second with $12 million. Although major-league sports are slowly returning (baseball excepted), Indiana may soon be caught in an Internet pincer movement between newly enabled Michigan and Illinois, with Ohio looming on the horizon. The biggest hope for pushback seems to be the launch of Caesars Sportsbook. “Adding a heavyweight like Caesars to Indiana’s mix will only help the market once it returns to something more closely resembling normal,” Welman said. “It shows that operators still believe in the potential of the Indiana market even as it remains quiet.”
* Want to go road tripping but leery of staying at a hotel? A Las Vegas company has the thing for you: school-bus campers (skoolies) redone as RVs. They are described as “roomier than camper vans, more mobile than chalets, more maneuverable than Class A motorhomes, and loaded with features like rooftop decks, rainfall showers and smart TVs.” Check out Mybushotel, in case Covid-19 has rained on your vacation parade. Solar panels provide ancillary power and if you feel like riding on the roof, you can do that, too. What’s not to like?
