Winter Storm Brings Welcomed Surge in Online Casino Players

Submitted by Evan on Tue, 2009-12-29 at 17:06

The winter storm that is expected to hit both the US and Canada is welcomed by online casino operators. People staying in over the holidays due to bad weather have more time to gamble online. Online casinos were already expecting to see an increase in players over the Christmas/New Year’s holiday because people are have anywhere from a few days to two weeks off.

Already, the storm has hit the US and stranded thousands of vacationers. But what does that mean for online casino operators? Several surveys have taken place in the online casino industry over the past few days and several operators have admitted to having a 60 percent increase in traffic, on average.

People cancelled plans that involved driving and airports told passengers to expect major delays. This left people with time off and nothing to do. So they gambled online. The great thing about online casinos is that they are always there waiting for you to return.

While the storm hasn’t hit Canada just yet, Canadian operators are hopeful that they will see the same increase in players and betting on their casinos. Weather forecasters have said that the storm will hit Canada on Christmas day and will bring freezing rain and whiteout conditions that make driving treacherous. It is predicted that the Atlantic Provinces will get hit the hardest. If people are indeed forced to stay home then it is likely that those already interested in online gambling will spend some extra time doing so but it is not clear whether those who have never played will give it a shot this holiday season. If this upcoming storm is significant, online casino operators in Canada can look forward to a Christmas bonus.