888 Set to Dominate US iPoker Compact

The online poker agreement signed between Delaware, New Jersey and Nevada last month is set to give the country’s online poker industry a huge boost, with other states, including Pennsylvania, likely to be inspired to join the compact a little down the line.
This landmark deal was recently reviewed by online gambling analyst Steve Ruddock, who in his article examined who stands to benefit most from the interstate compact. According to the author, from the immediate parties involved, Delaware and Nevada are expected to see a 200% increase in their online traffic once the agreement is enacted, while for New Jersey that figure is likely to be closer to a 60% increase.
The downside of this agreement, however, is that it will heavily favor 888, which currently has a presence in all three states with its products 888 Poker, WSOP NV and WSOP NJ, unlike the other online companies operating in these jurisdictions.
In fact, with the availability of 888 powered sites in New Jersey, Nevada, and Delaware, the brand will subsequently gain a significant advantage over its competitors, and have the means to run larger tournaments, and over twice the number of cash games than any other poker site across the interstate network. Naturally, this may benefit poker players across the separate states, but it will also hurt the long-term outlook for the online poker network as a whole.
Elaborating further, Ruddock sees an explosion in popularity and accessibility to 888 sites actually leading to player numbers becoming stretched across the other non-888 sites, such as PartyPoker and PokerStars, whose players would then actually see less traffic and game options following the compact’s launch.
In conclusion, only time will tell what happens to the regulated states’ online poker markets after they start sharing liquidity, and whether it turns out to be a positive or negative thing for  the individual operators. One development that may determine its outcome, however, will be the impact of Pennsylvania joining the compact, as well as the addition of other states inspired to enact legislation of their own, such as New York.