US-Friendly Poker Sites Continue To Thrive

While the world’s regulated online poker market has shrunk by 23% over the past two years, US-friendly sites have been experiencing some impressive growth over the same period of time and continue to outperform their licensed competitors. Bodog, for instance, has grown by 43%, the Winning Poker Network (WPN) by 77%, and the Chico Poker Network by an impressive 125%, raising the question whether it is these sites innovations or their virtual monopoly over the US market which is driving their traffic forward.
Bodog was one of the first operators to recognize the damage done by online grinders relieving amateur players of their bankrolls too quickly, and a few years back the site pioneered anonymous cash tables and banned the use of HUDs to create a more level playing field. This has ensured a steady flow of traffic to the site by recreational players who would otherwise have found the competition too hard, whilst in the meantime major regulated operators, such as PokerStars, 888poker and Full Tilt, have made no such adjustments for their customers.
Another innovative US-facing poker sites experiencing impressive growth is Winning Poker Network (WPN), which currently has an average of 450 cash players over a 7-day period. An increase in the site’s traffic has been helped along by its reputation for high quality customer service, quick cashout service, and having a cashier which permits Bitcoin trades. Meanwhile, the Chico Poker Network continues to drive players to its sites via attractive promotional offers, including a sit & go rake race, and payouts for cash players making four of a kind at its virtual tables.
While such promotions and innovations have helped the best US-friendly sites outperform their regulated competitors, the other great advantage sites such as Bodog and WPN have is that they have almost exclusive access to a country of almost 320 million people. Furthermore, until a federal law is passed stateside, or more states join the three already offering legalized iPoker, then these US-facing sites will continue to fill the huge gap left in the wake of Black-Friday.