The latest figures published by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board reveal that the Pennsylvania online poker market held steady over the course of December.
PokerStars PA, which still constitutes the lone operator in the Keystone State, brought in $2.72 million in rake and tournament fees for the month, which is the highest in five months.
The same month a year ago, PokerStars PA generated $2.47 million, so it marks a modest increase of 10.38% on an annual basis.
Pennsylvania Online Poker Market December Year-Over-Year Comparison
| Dec 2019 | Dec 2020 | Growth % |
|---|---|---|
| $2,473,137 | $2,729,729 | 10.38% |
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On a monthly basis, the operator is up $300,000 on November. Average revenue per day is standing at $88,056 compared to $80,308 last month.
With the release of the December figures, we have full-year data for 2020.
In its first full year, PokerStars PA produced $35.9 million in revenues which brings its average close to $3 million per month.
Its neighboring state New Jersey during the same period generated $38.8 million in revenues, making it the most revenue reported in a single year in the history of regulated online poker in the US.
Pennsylvania is second on that list despite its short history.
Pennsylvania Online Poker Revenue Highlights for December 2020:
- PokerStars PA in December generated $2,729,729 in revenue compared to $2,473,137 last year
- Year-over-year, PokerStars PA is up by 10.38% and 13.3% monthly
- December’s online poker revenue is the highest since July
- In 2020, PokerStars PA generated $35.9 million, an average of nearly $3 million per month
- $35.9 million is the second-highest online poker revenue generated in a calendar year in the regulated US online poker market, only behind New Jersey in 2020 that saw $38.8 million
- PokerStars PA generated three times more revenues than its counterpart PokerStars NJ operating under Resorts license in 2020
- PokerStars revenue in Pennsylvania of $35.9 million is by far the largest amount of revenue generated by a single operator in a calendar year in the history of regulated online poker in the US
Regulated US Online Poker: 2020 Revenue by Operator
| Operator | Revenue |
|---|---|
| PokerStars PA | $35,864,491 |
| WSOP/888 Network (NJ, NV & DW) | $16,399,275 |
| PokerStars NJ | $12,611,564 |
| partypoker US Network (NJ) | $9,791,491 |
In December, Pennsylvania online poker trailed neighboring NJ by $300k, though in November, PA exceeded all operators in NJ combined.
It is quite remarkable given that the New Jersey online poker market comprises three different operators and yet PokerStars PA – the lone operator in the state – has been able to match that figure.
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However, with the expected arrival of the partypoker US Network (comprising BetMGM, partypoker PA and Borgata Poker) and WSOP PA in Pennsylvania, it is expected that revenue at PokerStars PA may drop a bit due to the increased competition.
But with the Wire Act out of the picture, the doors for interstate online poker have once again opened, meaning Pennsylvania can join other states and share its player pool.
Once Pennsylvania joins the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) which currently is signed by three states: New Jersey, Nevada and Delaware, Pennsylvania’s online poker market is expected to flourish.
PokerStars will be able to connect its New Jersey player pool with that of Pennsylvania, which in turn will increase liquidity and produce bigger tournament prize pools.
The partypoker US Network which is expected to launch in Pennsylvania soon will be able to connect its player pool with its existing New Jersey player pool and the same goes for the WSOP/888 network which currently is the only operator to offer interstate online poker.
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Internet Gaming Produces Record Revenues in Pennsylvania in December
Combined revenue for online casino and poker in December statewide leaped to $71.6 million, a new record in Pennsylvania’s short history. PokerStars’ online poker revenue constitutes just 3.8% of that.
Its online casino vertical pulled in 1.5 times more revenue than online poker, settling with $4.2 million in gains, representing 6.2% of the online casino market.
Hollywood Casino regained the top spot in the market, with revenue increasing from $15.7 million in November to $23.5 million to take a market share of 34.1%.
Rivers-Philadelphia also leaped from $16.6 million to $19.3 million but had to settle for second place, its market share dipping slightly from 28.9% to 28.1%.
Online sports betting in Pennsylvania hit another all-time high in December reaching $44.1 million in revenue .
