As the one-year anniversary of WSOP’s launch in Pennsylvania approaches, revenue data shows that real money online poker in PA would be down 20.4% year-over-year without the Caesars-owned brand.
Data from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) also show that for the last 11 months, the WSOP PA Apps's success has come entirely at the expense of the PokerStars PA App — which had the market all to itself until March 2021.
Two smaller operators that squeezed into the market three months before WSOP — BetMGM Poker PA and Borgata Poker PA — have proven resilient down the stretch. Each has held shares of about 9% and 3%, respectively, for every month since WSOP launched in July 2021.
- Up to $100 in free play with first deposit*
- Top-quality software
- Compete for WSOP bracelets & rings
Pennsylvania Poker Market Growth Slowing
Pennsylvania’s online poker market grossed $2.8 million in May, down 3.4% month-over-month ($2.9 million), but up 8% from May 2021 ($2.6 million).
The year-over-year growth rate has slowed from 34.9% in March and 22.8% in April. March marked the second-highest point for year-over-year growth in the market, coming only behind the 37.7% mark set in February 2021, when the market began to lap the pandemic year.
But total revenue figures for nearly the last year don’t paint a complete picture. Online poker revenue would have come just under $2.1 million in May without WSOP — equating to a 20.4% decline from May 2021 and a 14.3% drop from June 2021, the last month for the market without the operator.
BetMGM Poker PA and Borgata Poker PA Stand Firm
PokerStars PA, on the land-based license of the Mount Airy Casino, has continued to lead the market since its inception in November 2019. The operator grossed $1.7 million and had 61.7% of the market in May, down slightly from $1.8 million and 62.1% in April.
WSOP PA reeled in $739k in May, enough for a 26.3% stake in the market. Both figures were down from April ($771k and 26.5%).
BetMGM and Borgata rounded out the group. BetMGM grossed $255k and had 9.1% of the market in May, while Borgata had $83k in revenue and a 3% share. Revenue and market share for the third- and fourth-place operators were unchanged from April.
Borgata’s land-based partner is Rivers Casino Philadelphia, while BetMGM is on the Hollywood casino license.
WSOP had its best month for market share in February, the same month that PokerStars had its worst. The former climbed to a 30.5% share that month while the latter slipped to 56.9%. PokerStars has since clawed its way back a bit at the expense of WSOP — the Flutter brand was back up to 61.7% in May while WSOP retreated to 26.3%.
WSOP Down in PA, But Up in MI and NJ
WSOP PA was down month-over-month, but its sister poker rooms in Michigan and New Jersey fared better in May.
In New Jersey, data from the New Jersey Department of Gaming Enforcement show revenue for the WSOP/888 Network — which includes WSOP.com NV, WSOP.com NJ, 888poker NJ, and the Delaware Park racino in Delaware — had $864k in revenue in May, up 9.5% month-to-month ($789k).
The performance of WSOP MI is harder to determine since the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) does not separate online poker revenue from that of online casinos.
However, an estimate by pokerfuse — based partly on cash game traffic data furnished by GameIntel, an independent industry monitor — shows WSOP MI grossed about $642k in May, up 10.3% from April ($634k). The WSOP MI poker room appears to have also boosted Caesars’ online casino revenue.
Looking for the latest WSOP PA Promo Code? Check out our detailed review.
