US Online Poker Traffic Dips Last Week
February 26, 2014 1:49 pmAccording to the latest PokerScout Report, New Jersey’s biggest online gambling sites all saw declines in revenue last week ending February 25th, with Party Borgata Network down by 5%, WSOP.com down 11%, and the All American Poker Network down by 5%.
Interestingly, while in the past the Garden State has seen its regulated online poker market peak at around 800 simultaneous players on isolated days, the market appears to have found its plateau for now and has retreated back to late January levels.
Online traffic in the USA’s other two regulated internet wagering markets have remained fairly flat, with Nevada continuing to average around 200 players over a seven-day period, and Delaware barely ticking along with less than 20. The good news for these two states, however, is that this week they decided to sign a historic interstate player pooling deal that should pave the way for a more viable and competitive online gaming environment. A specific date as to when the two states will actually enact their new online poker partnership has yet to be announced. Commenting on the landmark agreement, Nevada Senator Dean Heller, who recently has been campaigned to ban all online gambling games with the exception of poker, said:
“While I have repeatedly expressed my concerns about the impact of online gaming on consumers and minors, I believe that online poker is a game of skill and not of chance. In the meantime, this agreement is a proactive effort from Nevada and Delaware to provide a safe and consumer-conscious environment for online poker, and will serve as an example for other states.”
Meanwhile, Delaware and Nevada have encouraged other states considering online poker legislation to consider joining their compact. New Jersey has also been invited to sign up, but with its population of nearly 9 million people NJ’s online gambling industry faces much less pressure than the smaller markets of Delaware (917k) and Nevada (2.76m).