Global Poker Economy Contracts

Global Poker Economy Contracts

Wednesday, 17 June 2015

Online poker traffic has dropped for the ninth consecutive week and 16% overall year-on-year according to a recent report by PokerScout.com.

Running the numbers and ascertaining that the latest dip (3% in the last week) is the ninth in a row, the report suggests that the industry is suffering from a seasonal downswing.

Although a contraction of any kind isn't good for business, a review of global gaming trends over the last two years suggests that the World Series of Poker (WSOP) may be a contributing factor. According to PokerScout, the same period in 2014 showed a 12% downturn in global cash game traffic, which seems to align with the data currently being recorded in 2015.

However, according to analysts at the online traffic tracking site, the wealth may also be a reason for the global dip. Warmer temperatures and more reasons to go outside and socialise often mean that players ante-up less in the virtual world and the cumulative effect of this appears to be a noticeable drop in ring game traffic.

"The weather, not the calendar, may actually be the dominant factor that drives online poker traffic. Consider that, in 2015, the seven weeks from early April to late May brought a more significant liquidity dip (14 percent) than the seven weeks of the 2014 WSOP," read the report.

It's long been known that online poker has struggled to reach the highs it did even five years ago, but the latest data shouldn't be seen as a major cause for concern. The top ten performing sites in the world have remained in place during the current downswing which suggests it's just a natural market fluctuation and not the start of another major crash.



Tags: Poker economy