The state of Delaware may have been the first to offer legalized online gaming in the United States but the state has held the last position in way of revenues earned. Because Delaware is such as small state, the population has not lent well to the increase in revenues over the months during the operation of the option. Over the past three months, the state has seen a nice increase in player activity. The Delaware Lottery just released the most recent figures and it shows the online poker industry is seeing a nice period of growth.
In April, a total of $48,552 was earned from the three poker sites of Delaware. For the third consecutive month, the state has seen nice growth and enjoyed the profits. In the month of April, the revenues increased by 11% which is less than the 25 and 26 percent gains that were seen in both February and March. Delaware Park earned the majority of the revenues, with 71% of the total earnings in poker rake and fees. Dover Downs earned 36% growth and Harrington Raceway & casino earned 22%.
Taking into consideration the totals from June of last year to January of this year, the state was not able to earn over $40,000. Because the monthly totals were not very high, it was not expected that the revenues would increase. However, for the past few months, the state has seen solid figures.
The most recent increase were seen after Delaware and Nevada joined together with the Multi-State Poker Network. PokerScout showed that daily liquidity was not a dramatic impact with the changes. With 7 day cash game averages, the state was able to see a nice 9% increase since March.
With the three hour time difference between Delaware and Nevada, players in Delaware have the option to find games during the off-peak hours when they normally would not. Longer peak times mean longer gaming sessions and more revenues for Delaware. Players can essentially log on at any time while in Delaware to find cash games or tournament options.
Due to the partnership with Nevada, players also now have the option to take part in larger tournament guarantees. On the WSOP site, there are more than 36 daily tournaments with guarantees that have 4 to 5 digit prize pools. Players have to pay a higher entry than before the merge but willingly do so to be able to hopefully earn a large cash prize.
While the online poker gaming saw a nice increase, the state did see a decrease in online casino gaming. Down 19%, the online casino option earned just over $83,000. Table games only created $15,563 which is quite low considering this is for the entire month.
Looking forward, the state of Delaware would like to continue seeing an upswing in gaming revenues. As the WSOP is currently taking place, the state should see a nice increase in gaming for at least May, June and possibly July. As players begin to enjoy online poker gaming, players may begin to regularly use the sites, which will lend to an increase in game play.
Either way, the state is doing quite well when it comes to online poker gaming. As more states enter the online poker market, there will be potential for additional increases in revenues and gaming options. It will be interesting to watch as the industry progresses over the next few months and if the growth will continue, hold steady or decrease. Only time will tell how the industry will move forward in the coming months, we will certainly be watching and keeping track!