As the coronavirus keeps poker players on lockdown, they are flocking to online poker action
The online gambling scene has been showing many struggles during the coronavirus pandemic, especially the sports gambling industry that has virtually no events to create bets for. The opposite case is being seen with online poker, as it is not dependent on anything other than a software and Internet service. Most online poker sites across the world have been reporting increased traffic in their platforms since the current health emergency has most people on lockdown. That can be seen in the reports made by New Jersey and Pennsylvania - states in which online poker is legal and regulated - that are reporting increase revenue coming from this activity.
This has been one of the best moments for online poker since 2006 when it was made illegal by the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA), and then brought back to some states years later. For New Jersey, the online poker revenue has nearly doubled not only that of February's figures, but also the numbers reported in March 2019. Likewise, Pennsylvania has set new records for online poker revenue during March, which is great news for these states that are not receiving the usual revenue coming from the giant sports gambling industry. New Jersey's online poker scene is currently full of action being in the middle of its big spring event. Pennsylvania's poker players are having the same online championship running for the first time.
The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement has reported for March 2020 a total revenue of $3,629,112 combined from all three online poker operators. That is a 90.9% increase when compared to March of last year. It was actually double February's numbers, which were reported at $1,796,804. Those numbers don't even include the revenue coming from the Spring championship.
In Pennsylvania, according to the Gaming Control Board, March brought in $3,133,019 in revenue, breaking the record of $2,473,137 set back in December last year. This figure doesn't include the spring tournament, so, most likely, April's numbers will crush those reported in March.
