Delaware Reports 19.8% iPoker Revenues Rise In June 2015

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Tuesday, July 21st, 2015 | Written by Charles Washington

The latest online gambling results released by the Delaware Lottery are a mixed bag indeed, and while online poker noted an impressive 19.8% improvement in revenues to $30,675 compared to June last year, iGambling business overall plunged by a massive 42% year-on-year, with revenues falling to $108,692 from the $187,332 collected in June 2014.

iPoker Positive Y-O-Y Results

In June, Delaware’s three online poker operators generated 21.8% lower revenues on a month-on-month basis than the $39,245 collected in May, with last month’s figure of $30,675 representing the second worst monthly results of 2015 so far with the exception being January’s tally of $27,700. Breaking the figures down, Delaware Park saw its online poker revenues fall by 31.09% to $20,169 in June from the $29,267 collected in May, while Dover Downs was up by 10.62% to $6,872, and Harrington Raceway was down by 3.51% to $3,633 month-over-month.

A year-over-year comparison, however, yields a more positive reflection of Delaware’s iPoker market with revenues up by 19.8% in June, but the same month a year earlier is when the state generated its lowest iPoker revenues to date of $25,607. Nevertheless, June’s results were far from encouraging considering the iPoker compact enacted with Nevada at the end of March was expected to boost the market significantly, but has thus far resulted in a mere 12% improvement in revenues in Q2 compared to Q1.

iGaming Revenues Plunge 42% Y-O-Y

When poker results are added to those of the state’s other online gambling products, namely casino ($32,811) and video lottery games ($45,205), neither a month-over-month or year-over-year comparison placed revenues in positive territory. However, whilst the $108,692 generated in June was lower by 18.7% than May’s tally of $133,697, that drop off became a steep 42% from the $187,332 taken in June 2014. June’s total also marks a departure from the average monthly revenues the state was becoming accustomed to of around $160,000.

New Sign-ups Lower

Delaware saw 301 players sign-up for new online accounts in June, a slight fall from the 318 who did so in May, with Delaware Park attracting 156 new players, followed by Dover Downs with 84, and Harrington with 61. Since the iGaming market was regulated in November 2013, The First State has had over 11,000 gambler register for online accounts, all of whom are advised by each of the sites to gamble responsibly with various checks in place to identify
compulsive gambling behavior, or minors attempting to access the sites. As it states on Delaware Park’s ‘Responsible Gaming’ page, for instance:

“Delaware Park Online is dedicated to providing its members with a responsible gaming environment. Not only is it our mission to provide our members with the most entertaining gambling experience but it is also our duty to help prevent compulsive usage and underage access of our gaming products.”

Anyone concerned about their gambling habits are also encouraged to call the Delaware Gambling Helpline on 1-888-850-8888.

Interstate Compact Falling Short

Three months after the much anticipated interstate online poker compact was put into practice by the states of Delaware and Nevada, a modest improvement in revenues of 12% has been reported, a number considerably lower than the dramatic impact initially predicted by industry analysts. Helping to explain this failing is the small populations of both Nevada (2.84m) and Delaware (935k) which are insufficient to provide the level of liquidity required to make the game attractive to players.

Nevertheless, the country’s biggest regulated online poker market, New Jersey with 8.9 million people, is also suffering from an unattractive, uncompetitive industry, although the $1,835,576 it did collect in June was still significantly higher than the $30,675 generated in Delaware. Despite the relative amounts, however, Jersey’s online poker revenues were still the lowest yet produced by the state, and contrary to its traditionally stand-off approach the Garden State may be eventually be compelled to combine poker liquidity with Nevada and Delaware for the sake of the country’s iPoker future. A recent study commissioned by the NJ Division of Gaming Enforcement would appear to point in that direction, too, with an extract from the study entitled “New Jersey Internet Gaming One Year Anniversary – Achievements to Date and Goals for the Future”, stating:

“An important area for the future of Internet gaming is Interstate/International compacts. This type of cooperation between jurisdictions is very important for building liquidity in peer-to-peer games such as poker.”