England’s World Cup campaign may not have gone to plan, but there’s plenty of reasons why gaming machines are likely to have benefited – and may continue to do so until the final is played.
Figures from Halifax show how Britons engaged with their finances during the first England match, with cash machine withdrawals down by 25% while the match itself was being played.
Online banking transactions also dropped – but crucially, this effect was not so great, as many Brits are now comfortable with multi-tasking, accessing their online banking on a smartphone or tablet while watching the match on TV.
What does all this have to do with gaming machines? Well one of the other figures quoted by Halifax was a massive 267% surge in gambling transactions just before kick-off.
And with England’s early exit in the group stages, many of these gamblers will still be looking for a win.
With plenty of matches still to come – many of which will not attract devoted attention from pubgoers – and a penchant for viewing multiple screens at once, it’s likely more will look to gaming machines for an instant payout, as they seek to salve the wounds opened by England’s first-round defeat.