Internet Poker Traffic declines 34% year-on-year

[teaulc]

Internet Poker Traffic Declines 34% Year-On-Year Monitoring by the Pokerscout.com site shows that the total amount of online poker traffic has fallen by 34% over the past year, a figure certain to worry operators in the industry. Some of the decline is, of course, attributable to the events surrounding Black Friday, and the consequent loss of much of the American market. A further result of this has been the unavailability, and possible loss, of bankrolls of players on the Full Tilt and Cereus networks. The report analyses which networks have been losing the most players, and shows that market-leader PokerStars is holding up well despite the loss of its American players. A decline of just 19% in overall traffic there probably indicates that its swift response to Black Friday, full repayments of outstanding balances, and quick resolution of legal problems have inspired confidence in players looking for a secure home for their bankrolls. Many former Full Tilt and Cereus players are now playing the majority of their poker at PokerStars. Other poker sites are not faring so well. International Poker Network (IPN) which did not allow US players and was therefore not directly affected by the events surrounding Black Friday, has seen poker traffic decline by 42%, while it is down 34% on French-based Everest Poker. Entraction is down 25% and Ongame 20%. Among sites still accepting American players the situation is mixed. The Merge Gaming Network has been the biggest beneficiary, increasing its traffic 77% year-on-year. Merge closed to new American players earlier in the year, while allowing existing customers to continue playing, however it has now re-opened its doors to US consumers. It blamed the closure on operating difficulties arising from the sudden influx of new players it gained following Black Friday. The upsurge has seen Merge enter the top ten of biggest online poker networks. Bodog has also seen an upsurge of 50%, but this may be short-lived as it has indicated that it will no longer allow American players after the end of 2011. Another US-friendly site that has seen large growth in traffic is the Yatahay Network, which has seen a 70% rise in poker traffic. But not all sites open to Americans have seen a growth, with the Cake Network posting a 20% decline. This has been caused in part by some skins leaving, but the network has also suffered bad publicity, with a high profile dispute over winnings (the Taylor affair) and consistent reports of very slow payouts damaging its reputation. A few sites have bucked the trend for declines. The Action Poker Network has seen a remarkable upswing of 159% in poker traffic, admittedly from a very low base, and the site remains a small one. 888poker has seen a rise of 77%, helped by a high profile advertising campaign featuring Shane Warne.