Online poker play in Delaware is gaining steam after revenue numbers for August show a jump of 23% over July figures to $38,654.69.
Part of the reason for the rise in revenue the last two months may be attributable to Delaware enhancing its software over the summer in order to allow its online gambling scheme to be compatible with Macintosh users. That upgrade was completed in late June and online poker revenue shot up immediately after.
When looking at revenue numbers for all online casino games including poker and video lottery, the Delaware Lottery posted a mild increase for August that totaled $172,854.50.That bettered the $172,496.41 in July by just a few hundred dollars.
The number of new registrants at the three online gambling sites operated by Dover Downs, Harrington Raceway and Delaware Park totaled 376 in August. That was down from the 410 who signed up in July. But considering Delaware’s tiny population of just over 900,000, the number of new signups is encouraging.
Delaware Park continues to outshine the state’s other gaming sites in revenue, accounting for $23,499.73 in ipoker rake in August. Dover Downs generated $8,885.80, while Harrington Raceway pulled up the rear with $6,269.17.
However, Harrington Raceway raked only $2,794.40 in Internet poker proceeds in July, meaning that its August totals improved well over 50% from the previous month. Delaware Park’s ipoker revenue also rose for the month, but nowhere near the percentage seen at Harrington. Dover Downs saw a decline of some 8%.
Online poker revenue in Delaware enjoyed its best month in December 2013 when the state’s gaming sites collectively took in $106,922.76. That was the scheme’s first full month of operation after launching on November 8.
Though its August ipoker revenue total of $38,654.69 is a far cry from its peak seen eight months ago, there is reason for optimism. It is speculated that a good many Delaware residents would love to play online poker but have turned away due to the lack of liquidity of the current intrastate scheme.
Once the launch commences that combines player pools with Nevada, we will likely see a greater turnout among online poker-playing Delawareans. That collaboration with the Silver State was made possible by the signing of the Multi State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) by the governors of both states earlier this year.
Looking ahead to the distant future, it is believed that other states that enact online poker regulation will also take part in the MSIGA. But a bit of patience will be required before that occurs.
