Earlier in the week, both Delaware and Nevada released their iGaming figures for the month of August. Nevada had its worst month of 2014 while Delaware had its best month with online poker since May.
Nevada online poker in August posted just $742,000, a 22% drop from July. Delaware online poker increased 24% from July to $38,655. Both states saw huge percentage changes from their July numbers.
Nevada Drops Not Unexpected
Nevada’s 22% drop seemed ominous on the surface, but in reality should have been expected. The numbers the state had experienced since May were the sole result of the integration of the World Series of Poker into WSOP.com.
From the end of May through the middle of July, poker players in Nevada were busy playing in various online events and WSOP satellites in an attempt to pad their virtual bankrolls.
WSOP officials even relaxed rules during live play to allow players to play online all the way through the final table of a live event. Other amenities such as a dedicated window for deposits and a “grinding station” made it convenient for players to get online during their Vegas jaunt.
In all fairness, online poker was not the only area to suffer in August. The state saw a 3.7% drop in revenue in August thanks mostly to lower hold in high-end baccarat games.
The real question is where Nevada’s revenue will go from here. The state saw a 15 percent drop in revenue from April to May but then rebounded to have three of its best months ever. Perhaps a similar correction is in the state’s future.
Delaware Numbers Remain Flat Despite Online Poker Jump
The Delaware Lottery reported that online poker earned $38,655 in August, a 24% increase from July. This is the second month in a row the state saw a double digit increase in online poker numbers. Part of this increase centers around recent software upgrades by the state’s three iGaming sites. Among the improvements are a MAC client and a web-based iGaming client.
Despite the increase in internet poker traffic, overall growth was flat for the month. Delaware took in $172,854.50, just $358.09 more than in July. This figure is still a long way from the $106,922 the state took in for poker back in December.
Nevada Online Poker Saw Year-Over-Year Increase
There was some good news out of the August iGaming numbers. August’s win of $742,000 was an 8.65% increase from 2013. The state collected $677,000 in August 2013. Of course, the Nevada online poker landscape was different than it is now.
In August 2013, Ultimate Poker was the only site operating in Nevada. WSOP.com didn’t start taking real-money customers until September 2013. Real Gaming was still a play-money site.
Will Ultimate Gaming Refocus Impact Fall Revenues?
Ultimate Gaming recently pulled out of New Jersey following the bankruptcy of the Trump Taj Mahal. In recent days, the company has claimed they will focus on their Nevada product in order to provide a world-class gaming experience.
What this could mean is a host of promotions and tournaments with the intent of drawing players and increasing overall revenues. Also, with the summer tournaments now over, players will be looking for action and some well-timed tournament series could help fill the gap.
The next few months will be telling for the Nevada industry and push by Ultimate Poker could stir up competition and bring players to the table. This in turn will result in a greater internet win for the state.
