Delaware Online Poker Gets a Big Boost from US Shared Liquidity Pool
Delaware Lottery announced the figures for the online poker revenue in May and they show the first rise since July last year. The addition of New Jersey to the existing interstate online poker network of Delaware and Nevada was a real boost to Delaware revenue.
Nevada and Delaware have been sharing poker liquidity across 888’s interstate network since March 2015 and New Jersey joined on 1 May 2018 following the signing of Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA). Caesars Interactive Entertainment (CIE) announced that WSOP.com will begin sharing liquidity as well as 888Poker.com in the tree states and create a new large-scale multi-state offering that will “propel the industry forward”.
Nevada and Delaware have together a population of 4 million people which makes it hard to achieve a critical mass large enough to support online poker but with additional 9 million people in New Jersey, the situation changes a lot. The full potential of the shared pool is yet to be discovered in the future. Pennsylvania is expected to join MSIGA in early 2019 and the addition of 13 million people will once again double the size of the regulated US online poker player pool.
The increased poker liquidity from New Jersey had a huge impact on Delaware’s online poker industry since the country reached the $20,000 mark the first time since July 2017. In total, three Delaware casinos reported $24,300 in rake and tournament fees in May, with Delaware Park collecting a whopping $14,600 which represents 60% of the market.
The $24,300 is the highest amount since January 2017 when they reported $25,000 and although May 2018 saw online poker revenue rise 15% year-over-year, Delaware online poke is still well below the level it was at in the period 2014 to 2016. At the time the monthly revenue was between $60,000 and $50,000 which means revenues had been declining nearly 30% on average over the last 18 months.
New Jersey joining the shared pool promises to really be a game changer for Delaware. Three Delaware casinos, Delaware Park, Harrington Raceway and Dover Downs reported really impressive number of new registrations1,394. If May numbers are any indication, interstate online poker is growing the Delaware online poker market and this is just the beginning.