Delaware Online Poker Rises in First Half of 2019

The Delaware internet gaming market is a small one, especially as compared to that of New Jersey. But the revenue matters to the small state and pushes its numbers from three land-based gaming facilities higher by several hundred thousand dollars each month.

Moreover, a few million per year adds significantly to the Delaware gambling industry’s bottom line.

Delaware is also significant in that it was one of the first states to legalize online gaming and poker in the new and regulated US market, one that still only boasts of a handful of states.

Nevada may have been the first state to legalize online poker, but Delaware followed quickly with poker and casino games online. New Jersey followed with a much more sizeable overall market, and Pennsylvania will be ready to compete this year. West Virginia will then be next on the list after legalizing the games this year and anticipating a 2021 launch.

As the market grows, albeit slowly, it’s important to remember Delaware’s contributions and growth.

First Half 2019 Online Poker Revenue

Internet gaming revenue numbers through July are now available through the Delaware Lottery, which oversees and regulates the internet market. But the important numbers are contained in the first six months of 2019, especially as compared to the previous year.

Since online poker is the part of the new US internet gaming industry that is struggling the most, it is important to look at progress made in Delaware.

–2019 first-half online poker:  $141,839.78

–2018 first-half online poker:  $121,291.84

–Year-on-year movement:  17% increase

For a more detailed breakdown, it’s helpful to look at the first six months of this year versus last year and the differences on that level.

–January 2019 online poker:  $22,335.51 (22.2% increase from 2018)

–February 2019 online poker:  $25,348.17 (35% increase from 2018)

–March 2019 online poker:  $25,904.71 (50.7% increase from 2018)

–April 2019 online poker:  $22,357.46 (40.8% increase from 2018)

–May 2019 online poker:  $21,884.87 (10% decrease from 2018)

–June 2019 online poker:  $24,009.06 (10.6% decrease from 2018)

The swings are interesting, as some months saw impressive increases year-on-year, but May and June dipped annually but stayed mostly on track with the monthly action.

Bigger First Half 2019 for Total iGaming

Increases for online poker are notable, and the entire industry is growing in Delaware.

#FunFactFriday
Did you know that the Delaware Lottery operates Video Lottery games and Table Games at the three racetrack casinos: @delawarepark, @DoverDowns and @PlayHarrington.#netDE #DELottery #delawarelottery #delaware #lottery #videolottery #tablegames pic.twitter.com/U1uCPwHTvt

— The Delaware Lottery (@DELottery) August 2, 2019

All of igaming, which includes online poker, table games, and video lottery games, showed significant increases in 2019. The overall first half revenue figures tell the tale:

–2019 first-half online gaming:  $1,677,072.31

–2018 first-half online gaming:  $1,096,359.05

–Year-on-year movement:  53% increase

It is also interesting to note the ever-increasing number of registrations on the three online gaming sites. All are linked but advertise separately for Delaware Park, Dover Downs, and Harrington. For simplicity, however, the numbers below are for all three sites combined.

–2019 first-half igaming registrations:  2,582

–2018 first-half igaming registrations:  2,854

This, however, is misleading. Numbers were lower in January, February, March, and April of 2018 until the interstate agreement was signed between Nevada, Delaware, and New Jersey. This dramatically increased the number of registrations in May and June 2018. Look at the overall trend:

–January 2019 registrations:  578 (266 in 2018)

–February 2019 registrations:  478 (224 in 2018)

–March 2019 registrations:  482 (210 in 2018)

–April 2019 registrations:  363 (172 in 2018)

–May 2019 registrations:  347 (1394 in 2018)

–June 2019 registrations:  334 (588 in 2018)

Again, in general, the 2019 revenue numbers show steady and reliable increases over the past year under normal circumstances.

On Track for Annual Increases

At beginning of 2019, the Delaware Lottery released its final numbers for the 2018 year, and it showed that online poker revenue had increased significantly – from $231,086 in 2017 to $255,696 in 2018, an uptick of more than 10%.

As for the entire online gaming sector, revenue was on a relatively steady incline as well, from its inception through the 2018 year:

–2018 internet gaming:  $2,491,129

–2017 internet gaming:  $2,391,942

–2016 internet gaming:  $2,906,855

–2015 internet gaming:  $1,798,840

–2014 internet gaming:  $2,091,317

If the first half of 2019 is any indication – which it is – the full year will likely show another increase.