With the lockdown slowly letting up in the United States, poker revenue has begun to fall and some argue, poker traffic. Yet, PokerStars’ traffic in Pennsylvania has remained fairly intact during peak times.
Poker Traffic See-Saws in Pennsylvania, But Ultimately Holds Strong
Poker traffic in the United States went up dramatically in March when the first stay-at-home orders were issued and the country came to a standstill because of the COVID-19 threat. This occasioned a surge in poker traffic in America, with some networks, such as 888poker, seeing a 60% growth in their traffic.
Yet, this may be coming to an end, as most of the measures have been lifted and many people are going back to the office. Naturally, this has occasioned a dip in the performance of poker networks in all states where the game can be played legally online.
In Pennsylvania, the only card room currently running is PokerStars, which posted some record-breaking figures as well. In April, PokerStars PA hit a record revenue of $5.3 million. In May, the numbers took a small tumble down to just $4.6 million, but still showing a good result. Now one question remains.
Will the Number Hold After Reopening?
For the most of March, Pennsylvania saw some significant numbers of players trickle in onto PokerStars PA. The platform was registering anything between 200 and 2,000 players, and peaking at close to 3,400 in concurrent players.
Yet, as time passed by and authorities have found a way to restart the economy, peak numbers have dropped a bit. As of June, though, the number of players in Pennsylvania remains 3,300 on average in peak times.
However, this doesn’t translate into an accurate read as of how much the total handle has been during the month. As we saw previously, the revenue from poker dropped by $700,000 in just one month.
With PokerStars readying to launch the Stadium Series on July 5, next month should see a big spike in online poker traffic in the United States and regulated markets throughout the country. PokerStars PA previously wrapped up the Pennsyl-MANIA event.
Further Drop in Revenue Expected?
The big spike in poker revenue in April was mostly owing to the fact that many new players started joining PokerStars, testing the proverbial waters. While many players were enthusiastic about the game at first, they were quickly put off after incurring losses.
The stream of incoming and outgoing players has helped contribute to the bigger revenues. As time passed, though, only those committed to the game decided to stick around, and they have most likely exerted a more moderate approach towards their poker gaming, relying on Spin & Go’s, Fast Track, and various satellite events for a chance to break into the top echelons of poker in the state rather than risking too much of their own bankroll.
So far, poker traffic in Pennsylvania holds strong, although the revenue may drop yet again in June.
July’s $50 million tournament will definitely help boost things up. You may start playing for free tickets even today.
