November Numbers Set Bar for Pennsylvania Online Poker
It is easy to say that the first month of online poker in the Pennsylvania regulated market is good – even impressive. It is even better when official numbers begin rolling in to provide a basis for those assertions.
Two key sets of numbers are now available.
The first is the official revenue report from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB). Internet gaming is only a relatively small portion of the overall revenue snapshot, and online poker is an even smaller piece of the pie. But $2 million cannot be ignored.
The second is the end-result of the first online poker tournament series in the new market. PokerStars hosted its first PACOOP – Pennsylvania Championship of Online Poker – in November, and Pokerfuse put some key numbers together.
Here a sneak peak from our summary of #PACOOP:
💫Total Guarantees $1,225,000
💫No. of Tournaments 50
💫Total Prize Pool Awarded $1,559,767.10
💫Guarantee Surpassed 27%
💫Total Entrants 12,612 (excluding 844 rebuys and add-ons)
💫No. of Overlays 10https://t.co/zqffrgGosn— pokerfuse (@pokerfuse) December 19, 2019
PA Online Poker Revenue
This week, the PGCB released its November revenue numbers for the state’s gambling industry. Total gaming revenue is then broken down by slot machines in commercial casinos, table games in those venues, sports wagering, video gaming terminals, and fantasy sports contests.
And then there is “internet casino-type gaming revenue.” This includes internet slots, table games, and online poker.
Until November 2019, there had been no online poker revenue. That was until PokerStars opened its Pennsylvania site for a soft launch on December 4 and then a full and complete launch on November 6.
Hello, Pennsylvania! 🎉
Today is the day. PokerStars, PokerStars Casino and FOX Bet are available now.
ℹ️ https://t.co/tycudapCq8 pic.twitter.com/xkelwF8pxM
— PokerStars (@PokerStars) November 4, 2019
PokerStars paired with Mount Airy Casino Resort for its Pennsylvania license, so revenue is reported for that land-based operator. That number for November is $1,965,494.
Keep in mind that this was the first month only – not the full month – and one site only. But it already beat the entire online poker market in New Jersey.
–Pennsylvania online poker in November = $1,965,494
–New Jersey online poker in November = $1,492,494
PA Online Gaming Total Revenue
For the Pennsylvania market, there are currently five casinos operating online casinos. Their revenue for November was as follows:
Rivers Casino Philadelphia = $3,171,762 (slots = $2,086,283, table games = $1,085,479)
Mount Airy Casino = $2,989,131 (slots = $365,657, table games = $657,980, poker = $1,965,494)
Hollywood Casino = $1,867,657 (slots = $1,656,204, table games = $211,453)
Parx Casino = $1,495,846 (slots = $890,471, table games = $605,375)
Mohegan Sun Pocono = $131,416 (slots = $95,173, table games = $36,242)
In total, internet gaming showed $9,655,811 for internet gaming revenue in November, which was up significantly from $4,942,934 in October with the opening of more sites.
Also, it was notable that the PGCB reported that tax revenue generated from internet gaming in November totaled $3,480,569.
PACOOP Series Ups and Downs
PokerStars took a risk by launching its most popular online series in Pennsylvania just a few weeks after the site launched. But traffic had been solid, and it made sense to try to capitalize on it while also giving players some of the PokerStars tournament action they had been craving.
Sat next to the only empty seat on an AA Airbus back to Philly, in time to hug Fabi and reg #PACOOP Main (125k guarantee). How good am I running today? pic.twitter.com/9TYZyd89Ub
— Jennifer Shahade (@JenShahade) December 16, 2019
PACOOP was announced on November 15 as a 50-tournament series with $1 million prize pool guarantees. It started on November 30 and ran through December 16.
Per Pokerfuse, these are some of the highlights of the entire series:
–Total guarantees = $1,225,000 (some increased mid-series)
–Total money awarded = $1,559,767.10
–Total entries = 12,612, excluding 844 rebuys and add-ons
–Total overlays = $17,144.80 in 10 tournaments
–Total rake collected = $124,207.70
The PACOOP Main Event was a $300 buy-in affair with a $125K guarantee. When registration closed, it showed 640 total entries, of which 420 represented unique players. That created an actual prize pool of $179,200, well beyond the guarantee. And the winner in the end was Gyea08, who won $31,335.64.
No Sign of Others
Despite the significant numbers for PokerStars in its first month of Pennsylvania action, not one other online poker licensee has stepped up to announce an online poker site launch.
Quick one today – PokerStars Pennsylvania traffic, one month in. pic.twitter.com/Zbn2qFewy0
— Nick Jones (@pokerprojones) December 5, 2019
A month and a half after PokerStars opened in the new market, there hasn’t been as much as a peep from WSOP, 888poker, or PartyPoker.
Obviously, PokerStars doesn’t mind owning the entire market, but competition in any market is good for players.
