The World Series of Poker (WSOP) launch in Michigan (MI) has boosted the state's online poker rooms as Pokerfuse estimates show that they generated $2.5 million in May. This is the third consecutive month that the Wolverine State's poker market surpassed New Jersey's. The estimates are based on cash game traffic.
The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) revealed that the state generated $127.4 million last month in casino and online poker revenue. Poker Industry PRO's reported so a few days ago.
Even so, the combined vertical's revenue reduced by 3.8 percent month-to-month, which was about $132.5 million but has increased by 34.3 percent in the last year. Typically, the MGCB combines online casino and online poker revenue. Even so, it compared cash game traffic data to determine the local market's performance.
More Details About Michigan's Online Poker Revenue in May
GameIntel offered cash game traffic data which indicated that the state's three online poker rooms generated $2.5 million in May. It was 7.9 percent less than the $2.7 million they earned in April. They generated $2.6 million in March.
If the estimates are precise, then Michigan's online poker market has grown more than New Jersey's since March. The Garden State's poker vertical reached $2.5 million in March, slightly below $2.3 million in April, and more than $2.3 million in May.
Poker Industry PRO avails GameIntel's data to PRO Data platform subscribers. It stated that PokerStars MI had 141 cash game seats on May 31, while both WSOP MI and BetMGM Poker MI had 76 cash game seats each on the same day.
WSOP's Michigan Poker Room Generated More Revenue in May
MGCB's data indicated that BetMGM MI generated $49.2 million in online poker and casino revenue last month. WSOP MI earned $6.5 million while PokerStars MI generated $2.5 million in the same period. WSOP's revenue grew by 10.3 percent from April, PokerStars' revenue dropped by nine percent, and BetMGM's revenue decreased by 1.5 percent from April.
The same estimates show that PokerStars Poker MI generated $1.2 million in online poker revenue in May, which was 10.2 percent less than that in Apr. Also, the poker room appeared to have generated 15.6 percent less revenue in April than in March.
WSOP MI and BetMGM Poker MI both generated $642,000 in online poker revenue in May. BetMGM's revenue dropped by 11.6 percent from April's $727,000. Even so, WSOP made 1.3 percent more revenue in May than in April.
Cross-Traffic Promoted Caesars' Online Casino
WSOP MI's launch has significantly boosted Caesar's online casino. The gaming operator works using a William Hill license, and it was the eighth biggest online casino and poker company in March. Yet, it improved its position in May to fifth.
The casino's combined vertical revenue in May was $6.5 million, 10.3 percent more than in April and 45 percent more than in March. Caesars Entertainment's growth is due to WSOP MI's high cross-traffic.
WSOP organized the Spring Online Championship (SCOOP) series in Michigan, being its first major tournament in the state. Michigan calculates its online poker revenue according to two months' average cash game seats.
