By
Jerry Smith
Staff Writer Updated: 05/04/2020
Jerry’s greatest advantage is his extensive experience on the casino floor. His time as a casino manager taught him everything about what makes a player tick. Besides being a skilled poker player, he has deep knowledge of all live table games and gambling regulations in the US.
Shallow Focus Photography of Poker Chips, Photo by © Pikrepo
With the Covid-19 lockdown in place, many people across the United States are confined to their homes. Many have turned to various forms of home entertainment during the lockdown, including online gambling. With casinos being forced to close in order to adhere to social distancing rules, huge numbers of people are now turning to online casinos.
This is reflected in new figures recently released by 888 Holdings. The gambling giant, which operates 888Poker along with other online gambling sites, has reported a sharp increase in the level of traffic in the United States.
The figures show that there has been a 60% year-on-year increase in the number of active players, with many turning to online poker as a result of the lockdown. Officials from 888 Holdings said that activity on their US poker platform including the Interstate Poker Network has increased significantly.
The Head of Commercial Development at 888, Yaniv Sherman, said:
As we look at April 2020 numbers compared to April 2019 and January 2020, we see over 60% uptake in daily poker active players on our U.S. poker platform, which includes our Interstate Poker Network – the first regulated multistate poker network.
Sherman added that the company was seeing similar trends on its global poker network. He said that this proved that online gambling platforms were providing people with an enjoyable form of recreation while the lockdown was in place.
With online operations in Nevada, New Jersey, Delaware, and now Pennsylvania, 888 is making the most of these growing markets. The gambling giant is also due to host the prestigious World Series of Poker (WSOP), which has been postponed due to the global pandemic. As things stand, the tournament should take place at some point during the fall.
Sherman said that for the first time in a very long time, the poker network was gaining momentum and experiencing growth. He added that demand was particularly strong in the United States and that online casinos could make the most of this demand by providing players with the best online experience possible.
He said that people would choose to play poker and other games online as long as they had a good experience. Sherman added that people now had a lot more time on their hands and were actively looking for forms of entertainment during the lockdown.
Online poker is one of the options open to them, and it could continue to enjoy growth as long as players enjoy their online experience, according to Sherman.
The figures suggest that this could be the perfect time for gambling giants like 888 to win over new customers. As the data shows, many have signed up for poker gaming over recent weeks, and if they enjoy their time playing poker online, they are likely to continue playing even when the lockdown is over.
Online poker is not the only industry attempting to recruit new fans at the moment. Both the online casino and online sports betting industries are also proving popular currently, as people are forced to bet from home.
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