Delaware iPoker Revenues Down 10% To $28,158 In July

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Tuesday, August 25th, 2015 | Written by Stephen Smith

The Delaware Division of Gaming Enforcement has released its latest results for July, and the news was not great with both poker and overall gambling revenues tumbling compared to the same month last year. In fact, not only was the $28,158 in online poker revenues lower by 9.9% year-over-year , but it also represented the lowest monthly tally since January. Including other gambling games, Delaware’s three iGaming sites generated a total of $142,083 in July, lower by 17.6% compared to the $172,496 that was collected back in July 2014.

Online Poker Shrinks Again

The state’s three online gaming operators generated total online poker revenues of $28,158 last month, with Delaware Park accounting for $19,320 of that tally, followed by Dover Downs with $5,079, and Harrington Raceway with just $3,758. Overall, revenues were lower by 9.9% from the $31,261 collected in July 2014, and lower by 8% from the $30,675 taken the previous month, representing three straight losing month for poker. Here are Delaware‘s online poker revenue for the year so far:

January: $27,695
February: $34,526
March: $43,636
April: $48,552
May: $39,245
June: $30,675
July: $28,158

Interstate Compact Impact Wanes

July’s iPoker results were all the more disappointing considering the poker compact enacted between Delaware and Nevada in March, which saw the state’s three iPoker sites join Nevada’s WSOP.com on the shared 888 powered Multi-State Poker Network (MSPN). It had been hoped that combining Nevada’s 2.7 million population with that of Delaware (920,000) would encourage more people to play in both states. While this initially appeared to be the case, with Delaware’s revenues rising in the following two months, the downward trend resumed in May and has continued ever since. Furthermore, as Ed Scimia from cardschat.com explains:

“It is difficult to say just how many people are now playing on Delaware’s side of the Nevada/Delaware interstate network, but the combined player pool averages around 170 cash game players; while the numbers from each state aren’t broken down, traffic patterns from before the merger would suggest the vast majority are from Nevada.”

Other States Waiting

When Nevada and Delaware agreed their interstate poker compact, it was hoped that the landmark agreement would not only boost traffic, but that it may eventually encourage other states to approve regulation and join the online poker bandwagon. As Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval explained at the time:

“If there are states that don’t have as sophisticated a regulatory structure as we have, that’s something we can offer. If your state doesn’t have the infrastructure, use our capabilities.”

Needless to say, the ongoing challenges of supporting a viable online poker industry has meant other US states are currently content to take a more wait and see approach on the issue, leaving just California and Pennsylvania as the most promising candidates to next pass regulation.

iGaming Figures Mixed

Delaware’s latest monthly poker results reflect the wider situation taking place in the western hemisphere, where online poker continues to be a game on the decline, as opposed to the east and Asia where the game is surging in popularity. Meanwhile, Delaware’s overall online gambling numbers were slightly more promising with the $142,083 collected 30% higher when compared to June, but lower by 17% from the same month in 2014.

From that tally, table games (blackjack and roulette) accounted for $38,605 in revenues, which was a 17.7% improvement compared to June’s figure of $32,811, but down 60% from July 2014. In addition, video lottery games generated $75,319 in July, its best ever month, and besting Delaware’s previous record set in April 2015 of $68,038. Interestingly, the worst month ever for lottery games was December 2013, the very first month of iGaming regulation, when video lottery revenues totaled just $11,842. July 2015’s result represents a massive 536% increase from that figure.

New Signups Increase

Another positive sign was the number of new online gaming accounts opened in July, which at 378 was the highest tally in 10 months. Delaware Park accounted for 177 of those new players, followed by Dover Downs with 120, and Harrington Raceway at 81, marking an overall 25% improvement on the the 301 new players that signed up for accounts in June. Helping to explain the increase are the attractive Welcome Bonuses offered by Delaware’s online poker sites, which rise depending upon the size of deposit made, as well as the addition of a number of new slot themes that may also have helped attract more players to the sites.