In the time of COVID-19, land based operations, including lotteries, are taking a huge hit as quarantine and shut down orders prevent people from going out to buy a ticket. But a Spinola Gaming report indicates that this has been a net gain for the online lottery space, and land-based operations better adapt fast or lose out long term.

In China alone, retail lottery sales saw a 43.3% year over year decline in January, as that country began to see how coronavirus would soon affect the rest of the world. Spinola Gaming notes that South America and India are now seeing similar declines.

But while China had the first major problems with COVID-19, the U.S. now leads the world with the most infections. On March 31, a total of 183,532 cases had been reported stateside, with 3,727 total fatalities. As states fight to contain the virus, lotteries have taken a huge hit.

Massachusetts lottery revenues dropped by $1.3 million in the second week of March. Arkansas saw a $3.6 million revenue drop from January to February, and Ohio based lottery terminals are expected to be closed soon.