How Has WSOP.com Fared Since Becoming Nevada’s Only Viable Poker Site?

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Wednesday, January 27th, 2016 | Written by Stephen Smith

On April 30, 2013, Ultimate Poker.com became the first regulated online poker site to launch in the US, but by November 14, 2014 the operation was shut down due to revenues falling significantly below expectations. After Ultimate Poker closed down its Nevada iPoker website, WSOP.com became the only viable place that state residents can now legally play online poker. While it would be tempting for a company to simply sit back and let the business come to them, especially when they are the only game in town, WSOP.com has doubled down on its marketing in an attempt to bring new players to their virtual tables. As a result, WSOP NV has the highest levels of players per capita of nearly all of the operators running poker sites in single US states.

Before the Ultimate Poker Exit

So what did the online poker market look like in Nevada before Ultimate Poker went offline? WSOP NV faced some tough competition in those days. Although they consistently remained ahead of their competitor, their market share typically hovered around 60 percent, and by the middle of 2014, it had slipped down to 55 percent. Despite the fact that Ultimate Poker was increasing its market share, struggles in its other operation based in New Jersey led to the demise of the operator, with Nevada’s relatively minute market then unable to sustain the company’s objectives.

It’s estimated that about 50 cash players visited Ultimate Poker on average every day prior to its exit, with WSOP NV then moving quickly to draw these players to their site when their competitor ceased its operation.

A Boost from Player Pooling

WSOP NV enjoyed an uptick in traffic immediately following the end of Ultimate Poker Nevada, after which its numbers remained flat. In March 2015, a deal between Nevada and Delaware that pooled players from both states subsequently began to encourage more play. Overall, the newly formed Nevada-Delaware network saw a 15 percent increase in traffic following the interstate compact.

WSOP Is a Major Boon

When the 2015 World Series of Poker was about to get underway, WSOP NV pulled out all the stops and began aggressively marketing their online traffic. By the 10th day of the series, traffic had increased by 20 percent. Although the numbers decreased slightly toward the end of June, they surged again in July as poker fans focused on the showcase 2015 World Series of Poker Main Event.

Over the 4th of July weekend, a record-breaking 905 players participated in the online bracelet event held by WSOP NJ, competing for a prize pool of more than $850,000. The increased interest in the site also carried over to the cash games, bringing record traffic. At the end of July, WSOP NJ revealed that they had generated more revenue in June 2014 on their own than the combined Nevada market had the previous year.

After the 2015 World Series of Poker finished, liquidity on WSOP NJ decreased by around 25 percent, a much smaller drop than what occurred following the event the previous year. All in all, WSOP NJ saw a 24 percent increase in liquidity during 2015, a stunning revelation when you consider that as a whole, the online poker industry is in a slump.

Looking Ahead

Many experts feel that WSOP NJ is positioned to continue to grow, especially if they’re willing to make some improvements to their site’s platform, as well as its tournament structures, and promotional campaign. According to PokerScout, the WSOP NV/DE Lottery currently has an average of 180 cash game players on the network over a 7-day period, which is more than the 160 cash players at Party Borgata (NJ) over the same period, and just a little less than New Jersey’s top operator WSOP/888 (NJ) with 220 players.

In addition, neighboring California is predicted to be the state most likely to next pass online poker legislation in 2016. Being both the most populous and wealthiest state in the country means such a move could conceivably be a game-changer for the whole industry, and could provide the momentum needed for other states to then join the bandwagon. In his predictions for 2016, Howard Stutz from the Las Vegas Review-Journal even suggested that if California does pass iPoker regulation, state Governor Jerry Brown and Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval would soon agree an interstate player sharing compact, placing WSOP.com in an privileged position to take advantage of an expanded, and more lucrative online poker pie.