Gambling firms have had to change up their strategies a bit thanks to the COVID-19 crisis. Much like SBC events have had to go online, operators have had to find new sports betting products, and re-assess their 2020 strategies to keep the bottom line stable. A couple of panels on Day 1 of the SBC Digital Summit helped highlight just how much the industry has had to change.

The first panel, moderated by SG Digital Group CEO Jordan Levin, was the “Business Continuity in the face of COVID-19.” He hosted George Daskalakis, CEO and Founder of Stoiximan and Betano, Tim Heath, CEO and Founder of Coingaming, Jesper Svenssion, CEO of Betsson Group and Shay Segev, COO of GVC Holdings.

Segev began by walking the audience through GVC’s response to COVID-19. Business continuity has been different by region, as western countries have had minimal trouble shifiting to remote work, while countries like the Philippines, where personal laptops and strong internet connections are more rare, have proven to be a problem. And of course, retail operations are currently out of the question. But the company has largely focused on managing its cash, planning for difference scenarios that might arise, and planning for a return to normalcy.

All of the panelists noted that as work has shifted remotely, a constant stream of communications with their employees and players have become vital. Heath noted that the number of meetings with employees have increased to keep them in touch, and VIP players are now getting treated to poker tournaments, discord channels, and generally letting them know “they’re not alone.”