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€1.50 THURSDAY 2 APRIL 2020 • ISSUE 52 WWW.BUSINESSTODAY.COM.MT MASSIMO COSTA THE local gaming industry is feel- ing the repercussions of the eco- nomic impact of COVID-19, with land-based casinos and sports bet- ting operators having been dealt the worst cards. A spokesperson for the Malta Gaming Authority told Business- Today that certain areas of the gaming sector are facing major challenges, due mainly to the com- plete closure of land-based casinos and the cancellation of virtually all sport tournaments. Operators offering online gam- ing services could be faring better, as more people stuck indoors turn to the internet for entertainment, however they might also suffer in the future if people's income drops as the coronavirus wreaks havoc on the global economy. Enrico Bradamante, chairman of iGen, a representative group of the gaming sector, confirmed with this newspaper that sport betting activity has completely ground to a halt, as an obvious consequence of sporting events around the world having been cancelled in a bid to prevent the spread of the virus. e gaming sector is Malta's third-largest private sector contrib- utor to the economy, with its input having reached 13.6% in terms of total value added in the first six months of 2019. PAGE 4 PAGE 2 Editorial PAGE 7 EU CANNOT REPEAT 2015 MISTAKE Gaming's coronavirus pinch Land-based and sport betting operators face 'severe' challenges Study predicts Italy Covid-19 infections down to zero by 7 May PAUL COCKS A study commissioned by the Department of Robbotics at Magellan Robotech, a subsuduary of Stanleybet Group, has concluded that coronavirus infections in Italy have already reached a peak and should be down to zero aroun 7 May. Italy has registered the highest number of Cov- id-19 deaths globally, at 12,428, with over 105,000 having been diagnosed positive. Single forecasting models on citizens' behaviour were created for China and for the eight countries where the Stanleybet Group is present, including Malta

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