WSOP.com has taken hold over the regulated online poker industry in both Nevada and New Jersey, a dominance that comes as no surprise.
With a recognizable name that has been providing the highest of standards for live poker for more than four decades, it is not a shock to find that online players want to play at sites offered by WSOP. Name recognition is a powerful marketing tool and everybody who plays poker (and many of those who don’t) are fully aware of the prestige attached to the World Series of Poker.
Current numbers provided by PokerScout show that in Nevada, WSOP.com averages 150 cash players. Ultimate Poker exited the market in November, leaving Real Gaming as WSOP.com’s only rival in the Silver State. WSOP.com has grabbed virtually all of UP’s players and it may be difficult for any new entrants to the market in the future to knock the site off its perch.
Over in New Jersey, WSOP.com enjoys a seven-day average of 200 players, outdistancing both 888poker’s All American Poker Network (170) and Party Borgata (160). Both PartyPoker and Borgata make up Party Borgata, who had been the NJ market leader almost the entire time since launching in November 2013.
WSOP.com recently partnered with 888poker’s AAPN, sharing player pools in some low stakes cash games and select tournaments. It’s that partnership and increased liquidity that has spurred WSOP.com to the top in New Jersey, a position that may not be relinquished.
We are still waiting for PokerStars to be permitted to operate in New Jersey, and a good battle for market share may ensue when ‘Stars finally arrives. NJ Senator Raymond Lesniak mentioned March as a likely timetable in a recent tweet, but it’s better to believe that when we see it as we have heard similar promises before.
Also, a factor in WSOP.com’s recent ascent to the top in NJ was a player reward modification that allows for higher rakeback. That change was made earlier this month and coupled with the pairing of player pools with 888 Poker, has already paid dividends for the poker room.
Regulated online poker continues to move slowly in the U.S. as no new states climbed aboard in 2014 after three did so the year before. But 2015 has already seen legislation proposed in a handful of states. It is likely that WSOP.com will also establish a footprint in any new states that happen to take the plunge and regulate Internet poker.
