GGPoker Once Again Reaches Record-Breaking Highs Despite Security Scandal
GGPoker is currently breaking records left and right, but many players thought that might change after the controversy surrounding the cheating superuser. However, GGPoker has weathered the storm and has recorded higher traffic than ever before. Join us as we explore the cheating scandal and how the leading poker room has reached new highs.
Christmas Security Breach
On November 29th, GGPoker announced they discovered a superuser on the platform. A superuser is a user who hacks the client to the all-in equities while hands are in play. This means the user stole almost $30,000 through unfair gameplay.
However, once the company caught the user, they banned the account, seized the funds unfairly won through cheating, and redistributed those funds among players.
How It Affected GGPoker’s Traffic
Upon announcing the security breach there was a significant impact on GGPoker’s cash game traffic. Before this incident, the weekly concurrent cash game traffic was around 12,000. Practically overnight, it dropped to 11,500 average weekly players.
On December 31st, GGPoker recorded its lowest single-day figure in two weeks, though it might also be influenced by the fact that it was New Year’s Eve. However, the player drop was short lived.
Cash Game Traffic Higher Than Ever
Entering the new year, GGPoker gained back its missing cash game traffic and then some. On January 2nd, it recorded its highest seven-day moving average at over 12,000.
In the first week of December, the poker room stood at around 9,700 seats, which means if we consider the latest figures, GGPoker experienced almost 25% month-on-month growth. That represents an impressive 80% growth from its figures last year, which stood at around 6,700 seats.
Road to Another New Record?
If you thought that’s where it ends, then you’re in for a surprise. GGPoker’s seven-day traffic continues to grow, with the latest figures showing it to reach over 13,000 seats on average. Now, instead of wondering whether this might be the start of the end, many think the brand will reach new heights, even challenging PokerStars’ record.
In May 2020, during the mini online poker boom due to the COVID-19 pandemic, PokerStars set the record with 14,000 cash game seats. GGPoker is well on its way to challenging that figure, especially since the brand reached an average of over 13,000 without a mini-poker boom.
GGPoker Milestones Last Three Years
This year has seen yet another remarkable period for GGPoker, characterized by substantial growth in both tournament prize pools and the overall number of hands played.
One notable achievement is the significant rise in tournament prize money, with the platform distributing a total of $3.01 billion across all tournaments in the past year. This reflects a 10% increase compared to the $2.73 billion awarded in 2022 and an impressive 30% surge from the $2.30 billion generated in 2021.
Equally noteworthy is the substantial volume of hands dealt on the platform, reaching an impressive 3.8 billion throughout the year.
GGPoker Milestones:
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
| Total Tournament Prize Money | $2.30 Billion | $2.73 Billion | $3.01 Billion |
| Total Hands Dealt | 1.98 Billion | 2.55 Billion | 3.8 Billion |
| Free Giveaways | $232 Million | $318 Million | $361 Million |
| Players Who Won $1M or More | 277 | 316 | 231 |
| Accumulate Prize Money by a Single Player | $8.4M | $9.8M | $6.55M |
| Biggest Tournament 1st Prize | $2.5M | $2.8M | $2.78M |
| Largest Cash Game Pot | $706K | $1.5M | $603K |
| WSOP Bracelets Awarded | 33 | 36 | 43 |
| WSOP Rings Awarded | 18 | 66 | 72 |
The Growth of Poker Rooms in 2024
Both PokerStars and GGPoker have shown significant growth this holiday season. PokerStars has grown by 55% since December and now stands at nearly 3,700 concurrent seats, even as it had a 13% year-over-year decline. Meanwhile, GGPoker now accounts for almost 60% of the dot-com market’s 20,000 global seats, while PokerStars’ share has dropped to 18%.
Much of GGPoker’s growth is due to its promotions, such as the $23 million Winter Giveaway, and the standard holiday boost. In 2024, we’ll have to see whether the poker room’s cash game figure continues to grow once the holiday season is over.
