The United States online poker market is stuck.
Only three states share state-regulated online poker across state lines. Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware share their sites on the 888poker platform, which means bigger fields and more action. The only site that shares poker on the basis of the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) is WSOP, though, and is restricted from offering bracelet or circuit events in Delaware.
Michigan joined MSIGA earlier this year. This means that WSOP can expand and companies like PokerStars and BetMGM can finally connect their New Jersey poker sites to their counterparts in Michigan. But it has yet to happen.
Pennsylvania has yet to sign MSIGA despite having launched online poker before Michigan.
Connecticut and West Virginia legalized state-licensed online poker but have not signed MSIGA. Thus, due to their small populations, no poker operator has launched a site there yet.
So, while the overall igaming industry grows due to online casino games, poker flounders.
Delaware: October 2022
This was the only state to see its entire igaming business fall from September to October. The online poker drop was very small but the overall internet gaming revenue fell significantly. Even registrations were down in October.
The year-on-year numbers for poker were worse but for internet gaming were better. On the year, Delaware’s online table games and video lottery – minus a drop in online poker – grew by nearly 30%.
-Oct 2022 online poker revenue of $28,495 = down 0.6% from Sept, down 8.7% from Oct 2021-Oct 2022 total igaming revenue of $1,198,520 = down 7% from Sept, up 28.9% from Oct 2021
Michigan: October 2022
There is no way to know the status of online poker for this state, as the Michigan Gaming Control Board does not separate poker from other igaming offerings.
As for the entirety of igaming in Michigan, everything increased from September to October. It was the first month to hit $140M in revenue and to give more than $26M back to Michigan in state taxes and payments.
-Oct 2022 total igaming revenue of $140,956,282 = up 9.5% from Sept, up 28.5% from Oct 2021
Nevada: October 2022
Nevada only offers online poker – no online slots or casino games. And the state releases no information regarding revenue, as it is not obligated to do so until and unless there are at least three sites operating in the market. WSOP remains the only one.
New Jersey: October 2022
Online poker dropped slightly for the month but more notably for the year in October.
At the same time, online casino games were back on the rise. That number has not been consistent this year but showed its highest month-on-month growth of 2022 from September to October. The whole sector also continued its annual growth, despite online poker trending the opposite direction. Casino games made up for it.
-Oct 2022 online poker revenue of $2,233,692 = down 1.8% from Sept, down 8.2% from Oct 2021-Oct 2022 total igaming revenue of $147,176,744 = up 8.8% from Sept, up 15.9% from Oct 2021
While igaming grew, the full New Jersey gaming sector saw an annual decrease of 0.7%. The overall revenue for October was still more than $455M, just trailing Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania: October 2022
Pennsylvania’s igaming revenue went much the same way as New Jersey in October. Online poker dropped on the month and year in a pronounced way.
Other forms of internet gaming held up igaming, though, with impressive growth from September to October and from 2021 to 2022.
-Oct 2022 online poker revenue of $2,491,217 = down 6.3% from Sept, down 12.7% from Oct 2021-Oct 2022 total igaming revenue of $124,507,915 = up 10.5% from Sept, up 21% from Oct 2021
All of Pennsylvania’s gaming sector grew by 5.7% year-on-year. The biggest areas of growth were sports wagering, online gaming slots, and online table games. Retail slots dropped slightly, retail tables more significantly, and fantasy contests fell nearly 25%. That, combined with online poker, still couldn’t keep the market from growing to $450M for the month.
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