US online poker sees huge increase in traffic
The spread of COVID-19 has caused huge problems for the sporting industry throughout the world. This in turn has led to a major decrease in the number of people placing bets on sports online. There has been truly little in the way of professional sport available on which to bet as events have stopped taking place.
In addition, land based casinos have also been forced to close their doors in an attempt to reduce the spread of the virus. Clearly many businesses have been struggling but there has been one industry which has thrived during the pandemic and that’s online poker. 888 poker have reported a huge increase in traffic, almost up to 400% increase in traffic over the last few months,
Looking at figures in the United States, specifically New Jersey and Pennsylvania, we have seen an increase in the number of online poker bets placed during coronavirus. A quick glance at the amount of money bet playing online poker games from the beginning of the year up until April shows a significant increase. Between February and April 2020, the amount of money bet on online poker In New Jersey has risen from $52 million to $79.9 million.
Some may claim this could be a natural increase but when compared to the same figures from last year it is clearly due to the pandemic. According to the state, in April 2019 $36.6 million was taken in online poker revenue in New Jersey compared to $79.9 million in April 2020. That is a 118% increase.
According to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, the state has enjoyed record revenues in April for both online poker and casino games. The amount of money bet has almost doubled from February to April this year. Looking back to when most professional sports competitions were shut down in March, this coincided with a five-year peak in Google searches for online poker, so there is clearly a link between the two.
In addition to people playing poker on a desktop computer and laptop, more people have been playing poker using an app. Although many people have been asked to stay indoors, exercise has been allowed and people have also been making use of their gardens. However, being outside of the home does not prevent people from enjoying a game of online poker thanks to the creation of dedicated poker apps for Apple and Android devices.
Many people may have discovered the lure of playing online poker using an app for the first time during the pandemic. This could see some people converted to playing online poker rather than attending a land-based casino when they reopen. A lot of players are predicting that there will most likely be long-term implications from this surge in online gambling interest. A lot of players will feel more comfortable playing online, plus they get the added bonus that they can play at any time of the day without having to travel.
The surge in the number of people playing online poker has helped sports betting websites as they come terms with lost revenues from the lack of sport. It will not make up for the loss of sport during the pandemic but has certainly helped in the short term.
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