Malta’s gambling regulator expects its online sports betting licensees will see their revenue fall by 40% this year due to the impact of COVID-19.

On Thursday, the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) released the results of a survey into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Malta’s gaming industry. The Business Impact Survey, conducted in April, queried 151 business-to-consumer (B2C) licensees as to how their current and future operations would be affected by the pandemic.

On the whole, B2C operators expect their 2020 gross gambling revenue to come in 12% below 2019’s results, and the MGA said this would likely convince most B2C licensees to postpone investment plans to preserve financial liquidity until the pandemic situation clarifies.

Sports betting-focused B2C operators expect a revenue decline closer to 40%, and the MGA noted that the sports decline would be “contrasted but not offset by an increase” in online casino revenue.