As usual, this summer brought about a significant decrease in online poker traffic. Recreational players tend to go outside rather than grind and many pros go on holidays, not to mention the World Series of Poker. However, summer is over and traffic has begun to rise again.
According to PokerScout, most monitored rooms have shown a 3-5% increase in traffic in the past weeks, compared to previous results. This tendency is likely to continue in the upcoming weeks, with the largest increase expected from PokerStars, where the Word Championship of Online Poker launches within days.
Despite the general increase in the market, some rooms have fared worse, most importantly Full Tilt Poker. The 6% decrease in the room’s traffic is due to the finish of the Build Your Bonus promotion, during which players got to build their own bonuses in 10 days, after which they had to clear it in another period of similar length. In the beginning of the promotion, the FTP traffic increased widely to drop back down by the end and show the pre-promotion stats after it was over.
Even though the overall increase in early autumn is good news for players, online poker is in general on a six years low. August traffic was the weakest since 2007 and the current situation is barely better than it was at the time of the introduction of the UIGEA in 2006.
From 2003 to 2005, the increase of online poker seems unstoppable, with a monthly increase of 12% throughout 2004, thanks to the TV coverage and the Moneymaker Effect. In 2006, however, the market began to stall and continued to do so in 2007, after the UIGEA. In 2008-2009, it increased once again in the race of PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker.
After the Black Friday and the introduction of segregated markets, another drop started and it is still in effect today, despite the return of FTP last November, which brought about a minor increase. PokerScout estimates that a couple more low years are ahead of the game but, with the possible opening of the US market in 2-3 years, another increase might finally come about.
According to PokerScout, most monitored rooms have shown a 3-5% increase in traffic in the past weeks, compared to previous results. This tendency is likely to continue in the upcoming weeks, with the largest increase expected from PokerStars, where the Word Championship of Online Poker launches within days.
Despite the general increase in the market, some rooms have fared worse, most importantly Full Tilt Poker. The 6% decrease in the room’s traffic is due to the finish of the Build Your Bonus promotion, during which players got to build their own bonuses in 10 days, after which they had to clear it in another period of similar length. In the beginning of the promotion, the FTP traffic increased widely to drop back down by the end and show the pre-promotion stats after it was over.
Even though the overall increase in early autumn is good news for players, online poker is in general on a six years low. August traffic was the weakest since 2007 and the current situation is barely better than it was at the time of the introduction of the UIGEA in 2006.
From 2003 to 2005, the increase of online poker seems unstoppable, with a monthly increase of 12% throughout 2004, thanks to the TV coverage and the Moneymaker Effect. In 2006, however, the market began to stall and continued to do so in 2007, after the UIGEA. In 2008-2009, it increased once again in the race of PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker.
After the Black Friday and the introduction of segregated markets, another drop started and it is still in effect today, despite the return of FTP last November, which brought about a minor increase. PokerScout estimates that a couple more low years are ahead of the game but, with the possible opening of the US market in 2-3 years, another increase might finally come about.
