By
Jerry Smith
Staff Writer Updated: 01/22/2020
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.
Online poker in Pennsylvania shows strong performance in the first full month, Photo by www.shutterstock.com
In December, which was the first full month of operation for PokerStars PA, the first and only legal real-money poker website in Pennsylvania, a revenue of $2.5 million was generated, signaling a strong performance from the operator.
According to the latest figures released by the Pennsylvania Gaming Board, online poker accounted for less than one percent of state gambling revenue during December. However, online poker is just one of the many options that residents of the state now have if they want to enjoy gambling without having to step outside and go to a casino.
The total December revenue for online gambling in Pennsylvania, which includes poker, table games, internet slots, sports betting, and fantasy sports, came up to approximately $22.4 million, which was less than eight percent of the total state gambling revenue.
A majority of the state gambling revenue is from traditional casinos, especially from slot machines, which generated a whopping $187.5 million in December. The rest of the $78.9 million was brought in from live table games.
PokerStars was launched in the state in early November, making December its first full month of operation. The site was rolled out more than two years after 2017 when the state legislature legalized online gambling. To receive its license, PokerStars partnered with Mount Airy Casinos in Poconos.
Pennsylvania residents seem to love PokerStars, with the site averaging 400 players at one time. This is about four times as much as the sister site in New Jersey receives.
According to industry analyst, Justin Gouker, online gambling appeals to a wider audience compared to casino gambling. This is because with online gambling, “there are often customers that you’d not ordinarily get otherwise.”
In 2019, gamblers in Pennsylvania spent more than $3.4 billion, which was a 4.5 percent increase from the previous year’s spending. This increase was mostly driven by the rising popularity of online gambling in the state, as per data from the state’s gaming control board.
For now, the question for online poker in Pennsylvania is whether the state can grow and sustain the interest of gamblers. It is not an uncommon trend for legal online poker to enjoy a high when it first launches, and then cool down over time.
Even though the revenue raked in by online poker constituted less than one percent of the gross gambling revenue of the state, experts believe that the online market will continue to grow as the industry matures. Already, the market share of the online gambling market is steadily growing over the years.
This belief is supported by the growth of the online sports betting market in Pennsylvania, which generated a revenue that was three times more than the revenue brought in by brick-and-mortar sportsbooks. While online sportsbooks raked in $8.4 million from bettors, retail locations managed to bring in just $3 million.
These latest figures show a promising future for online poker in the Keystone state. Besides, considering the numbers for PokerStars in New Jersey, where it is already established, it appears that Pennsylvania too will hold a positive future for online poker.
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