As athletes in the modern era have become national and global superstars and have become representative of some of the biggest brands in the world, or in some cases, have become brands unto themselves, the fashion & style choices in professional sports has steadily gone from the consistent professionalism that you’d see in an office environment, to an entire way in which athletes have been able to express themselves and their ideas. Gone are the days of every player arriving to a game in just a track suit or, for the more well-dressed players, a clean two-piece suit. With the rise of player empowerment and the validation of the social media generation, players in every sport are now able to change their look as they see fit, and many have chosen to go far more avant-garde with their fashion than in previous eras.

Take, for instance, the NFL. In a league that still has a remarkably strict dress code, players have grown to push the limits as much as possible, largely under the belief that professionalism is in the eye of the beholder and fashion choices are never truly unprofessional. The obvious example of that boundary pushing is Cam Newton, and the wide array of outfits he has worn throughout his career. Renowned not just for his talent and physicality, but also his outspoken personality and outspoken fashion choices, Newton has ensured that no matter how well he has done on the field over his career, his on-field play is only a part of the discussion when his name is in the media. He’s just as often to be called out (or complimented) on his game time decisions as he is to be praised or derided for his pre-game outfits and press conference attire. 

In many ways, Newton is indicative of the way that fashion and athletics have become intertwined in the modern era. In a world in which the best & most famous spokespeople for a brand are athletes, and one in which different shoes or athletic wear generate billions in revenue based on the athletes they’re associated with, Newton chooses to both use his fashion choices to promote his own brand, and to promote the NFL and the sport of football as a whole. While opinions on the professional nature of Newton’s fashion may differ, the reality is that his use of fashion to express his individuality has had an outsized effect on the fashion of the rest of the NFL, and the sports world as a whole.

There is no escape from the fact that movies and TV shows have an influence on the way we live our lives and pop culture as a whole. Simply look at season 4 of Stranger Things and how that catapulted Kate Bush back to number 1 in the charts. As such, with gambling being such a popular theme in the film industry, is it possible for the fantasy of the casino to influence the actual casino industry and gambling culture as a whole?

The Perfect Storm 

The fact of the matter is that the movie industry can influence the casino industry due to the fact they both entertain such a large variety of people. It’s very common that people will watch a movie or enjoy the best online casinos Canada have to offer and play games such as poker, blackjack and slots. There are a huge range of different games available such as GoodFishes, The New Blackjack and Perfect Pairs. The fact that they are both so widely engaged with means that you tend to see casino stereotypes from films trickle into the different games available on these websites. For instance, games with big payouts are frequented because so many films feature that kind of win.

The Chance to Win Big 

Realistically, if you are playing on slot machines and are looking to win, you should try games with smaller jackpots over larger ones as they tend to pay out more frequently. Of course, the glamour of Hollywood movies and the chance to win big can quickly cloud that judgement and as such, a lot of gamblers choose to chance their luck at the big jackpot games. This is a clear example of how gambling movies can influence gambling culture.

Beating the System (Reading Strategies) 

A lot of casino games are down to luck such as slot machines, in fact, there isn’t a single casino game out there where you don’t need a little bit of luck to win. That being said, some of the games such as poker are a convolution of both the cards you’re dealt but then also how you play with them. The strategic nature of a lot of gambling movies makes people who play these days a lot more interested in reading about the different strategies that they could use in order to try and find the one that will work most effectively for them. Of course, there is no such thing as beating the system and gamblers know that, but they enjoy giving themselves as much of an edge over the house as they possibly can.

Does Hollywood Influence Casino Culture? 

The short answer is yes. Both movies and casino games are incredibly popular, and a lot of people engage with them for entertainment purposes. As such, it’s hardly a surprise that the two industries occasionally drift into one another. This means that some of the storylines that centre around gambling such as potentially winning big and having a good strategy in place are adopted by gamblers when they are choosing what games to play and how they will go about playing them.

It comes as no surprise to know that the gambling sector, like every other sector, took a hit during the pandemic.

Where It All Started

On March 23, 2020, the UK’s Prime Minister mandated that everyone stays at home and all non-essential businesses and stores close.

Concerns And Worries

There were concerns that people would switch to greater-risk kinds of gambling online, which could eventually lead to a shift to online gambling in the long run, despite the fact that some experts acknowledged that closing land-based gambling locations would lead to a decline in some forms of gambling. There were also concerns that stress, boredom, and financial strains would encourage new gambling behavior or exacerbate problems for those who already had gambling addictions. These modifications to daily living could potentially eliminate protections against gambling harm, particularly for those who are in recovery.

The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) consented to the voluntary removal of gambling commercials from radio and television beginning on May 7, 2020, for a period of six weeks, ending on at least June 5, 2020. This decision was taken so as to ensure that people who were not interested in the gambling industry would not be enticed to try it out, decreasing the number of people who might be tempted to check out the best UK online casinos for real money during a period of vulnerability and boredom.

Establishments And Their Closures

The following non-essential business locations had to close: bars, bookmakers, bingo halls, arcades, casinos, and live racing venues. This restricted access to National Lottery items and online gambling in the UK.

In March 2020, the government declared the first nationwide lockdown, which resulted in the closure of dog races as well as casinos, bingo parlors, arcades, and betting shops. Just before the lockdown began, horse racing and football games were postponed. On May 10, 2020, the government began to relax the first nationwide lockdown’s limitations. Early in June 2020, dog and horse racing resumed, followed quickly by the resumption of betting shops and football. Early July 2020 saw the reopening of bingo halls and arcades, while August 2020 saw the reopening of casinos. Despite COVID-19 limitations, online gambling was still possible.

Post-Lockdown Findings

Following the lockout, it was discovered that 0.8% of participants had kept up their online gambling, 0.4% had returned to in-person gambling, and 0.6% were combining both online and land-based gambling. Compared to general population surveys, the proportion of people who started new gambling behaviors was higher in populations of gamblers.

In a UK study of 3,866 sports bettors, it was discovered that 16.6% of women and 17.3% of men began utilizing new gambling products during the lockdown. A second UK research of 537 online gamblers revealed that 41% of regular online gamblers and 26% of all online gamblers had opened new gambling accounts since the lockdown‘s inception.

All gambling activity decreased, with the exception of playing online casino games. Online casino games saw a rise from 1.5% in October 2019 to 2.3% in May 2020. The majority of gamblers claimed to have wagered roughly the same amount (52%) or less (41%) during the lockdown. But 4% of people were gambling more, and this number increased to 20% in those who had a gambling problem. Compared to older age groups, younger gamblers (aged 18 to 34) were more likely to increase their gambling frequency and spending. The majority of people spent the same amount on gambling during lockdown or less, with gambling expenditure being similar to frequency.

Internet gaming was the largest and most popular sector, generating a gross gambling yield of  £3.1 billion. The majority of the £1.94 billion in GGY generated by online casinos in this market was from slot machines.

The National Lottery, the second-largest sector, generated £1.61 billion in GGY. The second-largest industry was sports betting, with its online and land-based segments earning £1.04 billion and £629.3 million, respectively.

Due to closures and other restrictions brought on by the coronavirus epidemic, the land-based sector suffered during this time. For the six months, land-based casinos only made £67 million, as opposed to £1.02 billion for the entire year from April 2019 to March 2020.

Conclusion

Despite a general decline in gambling, studies revealed that a very small proportion of individuals began gambling for the first time while the school was under lockdown. Additionally, some people who gambled prior to COVID-19 engaged in new gambling behaviors during lockdown by opening new accounts and attempting new products.