Hysteria and dizzying change the only certainties for an industry under fire

Seven years ago a report was published by Deloitte looking into the future of the betting industry. It predicted the march towards online and mobile gambling as well as the sizeable growth of the sector and the likelihood of taxation on offshore operators.

Author Simon Oaten admits to being rather pleased with his work given its clairvoyance, although not even he could have foreseen the events of this year that have had such a seismic impact on all aspects of racing and betting.

The betting industry is, of course, far from immune from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, but in this case it is just one of a number of factors, such as increased scrutiny from the government and the responsible gambling lobby, continuing to bring about rapid change.