US Online Poker 2015 – Things to Keep an Eye On

It was a topsy turvy year for online poker in the United States. The market in New Jersey became more established, while the market in Nevada had its good and bad points, the worst of which being the sudden closure of pioneer network Ultimate Poker.

Billionaire bricks and mortar casino and resorts tycoon Sheldon Adelson continued to beat his ‘ban online poker’ drum throughout 2014, while governments in a number of US states talked and debated about the possibility of regulating online poker within their jurisdictions.

2014 may have been quite a year for online poker in the US, but 2015 has the potential to be even bigger. We at PokerTube have looked at three areas to keep a close eye on in the US online poker arena next year.

Potential Market Dominance of WSOP.com

WSOP.com currently possesses the mantle of the most successful online poker site operating in the US at the moment.

It has the largest market share of the online poker market in the state of Nevada and is set to have a stranglehold on that market for some time to come.

That is due to the exit of Ultimate Poker from that market, as well as the recent decline in overall revenues for the Nevada online poker market, which is likely to deter other networks from establishing themselves in the state.

Although it does not have the largest share in New Jersey – that title currently goes to Party Borgata - WSOP.com is the second largest network in the state with an average of 140 players. While Party Borgata is likely to not give up its dominant market share without a fight, the possibility of WSOP.com obtaining the most player traffic in New Jersey in 2015 is quite real.

Should that be the case, the network would have the dominant market share in both of the major US states to have regulated online poker within its borders.

That would, obviously, be major positive news for the company, whose WSOP events have made it among the most famous in the game. It may also motivate rival networks to revamp their products to attract more players, which could give online poker players better and more user friendly networks to play on.

However, there is always the possibility that a WSOP.com dominated market may deter other companies from setting up shop. Whatever the effects may be, WSOP.com and its market shares in Nevada and New Jersey are worth keeping a close eye on in 2015.

Viability of the Nevada Online Poker Market

October saw the lowest total revenues for Nevada’s online poker market since its official launch in April last year.

A total of US$665,000 in revenue was recorded for the state, which occurred in the last month of Ultimate Poker’s operation in the state.

Two networks – Real Gaming and WSOP.com – currently operate in Nevada, but WSOP.com is the only that presently attracts a significant number of players. It will be interesting to see whether the low revenues are a temporary event or whether they are a signal of low demand for online poker in Nevada.

An indication of this may be seen before the end of this year by looking at the player numbers of both the state’s remaining networks.

A boost in their numbers will likely be a sign that former Ultimate Poker players still wish to play online poker in the state, which would be a positive sign for the future stability of its regulated online poker market.

However, if WSOP.com and Real Gaming’s numbers remain the same, it would show that overall demand for online poker in the state has declined. This would likely deter other companies from launching in the state and the viability of the Nevada online poker market may come into question.

It is likely as WSOP.com, and possibly Real Gaming, will continue to operate in 2015 given the stable numbers it has attracted over the past year.

Nevada was the first state to regulate online poker in the US, and 2015 will show whether it has any long term life as a sustainable market.

Possible Online Poker Regulation in California

The debate and the discussion over potential legislation and regulation of online poker in the state of California has occurred for well over a year now.

The scale of such discussions throughout this year has led to the very real possibility that legislation to establish a regulated online poker market in the state may be introduced in 2015.

If an online poker market is established in the state, it will be the biggest thing to occur in the country’s online poker arena for quite some time, possibly even ever. With a population of over 38 million people, California would be by far the biggest US state to have a regulated online poker market.

The state also boasts the largest economy of all the US states, which could lead to major revenues for an online poker industry there.

All of that means that online poker has the potential to be huge in California.

While the largest online poker networks in New Jersey have a seven-day average of around 150 players, California’s population and large economy means that networks may be able to attract numbers in the thousands.

It could also result of monthly revenues in the tens of millions of dollars for the industry, should it be successful in attracting strong numbers of Californians to its networks.

It is no secret that a regulated online poker market in California would be big news for the game, and with discussions continuing and rumours circulating, don’t be surprised if 2015 sees the establishment of the market.