Impact of Ultimate Poker starting to be felt in US market

It’s been a very strange time for online poker rooms operating in the United States. Not only do we have the launch of the first fully licensed and regulated online poker room in Nevada (Ultimate Poker) but the Merge Gaming Network has been hit hard with multiple room closures over the past few months, while the Revolution Gaming Network has been hit hard with accusations of wrongdoing and insolvency to their flagship site Lock Poker.

Amazingly, Revolution has been able to hold steady through what can only be described as a crisis, and by most accounts a crisis they handled pretty poorly. Merge Gaming has definitely been the hardest hit, losing some 20% of their player-base during a period where most people thought they would be picking up players from Revolution!

Looking at the traffic rankings at PokerScout.com it appears that players that left Merge Gaming landed at Bodog/Bovada, the Winning Poker Network and Ultimate Poker. It’s still unclear if there will be a mass exodus from Revolution as withdrawal times improve, or if current players on the network will feel they have righted the ship.

Another trend to watch will be the impact of the recent government action against Bitcoin, and what affect that will have on Seals with Clubs.

Here is a look at the US online poker traffic numbers from the beginning of the month:

1. Bodog/Bovada: Worldwide rank #11 – 7-Day Rolling Average of 1,100 cash-game players
2. Revolution Gaming Network: Worldwide rank #14 – 7-Day Rolling Average of 680 cash-game players
3. Merge Gaming Network: Worldwide rank #15 – 7-Day Rolling Average of 670 cash-game players
4. Winning Poker Network: Worldwide rank #27 – 7-Day Rolling Average of 245 cash-game players
5. Chico Poker Network: Worldwide rank #31 – 7-Day Rolling Average of 210 cash-game players
6. Seals With Clubs: Worldwide Rank #42 – 7-Day Rolling Average of 84 cash-game players
7. Ultimate Poker: Worldwide rank #43 – 7-Day Rolling Average of 75 cash-game players

And here is a look at the US online poker traffic numbers some three weeks after the launch of Ultimate Poker:

1. Bodog/Bovada: Worldwide rank #11 – 7-Day Rolling Average of 1,160 cash-game players
2. Revolution Gaming Network: Worldwide rank #13 – 7-Day Rolling Average of 680 cash-game players
3. Merge Gaming Network: Worldwide rank #18 – 7-Day Rolling Average of 550 cash-game players
4. Winning Poker Network: Worldwide rank #26 – 7-Day Rolling Average of 290 cash-game players
5. Chico Poker Network: Worldwide rank #31 – 7-Day Rolling Average of 210 cash-game players
6. Ultimate Poker: Worldwide rank #36 – 7-Day Rolling Average of 177 cash-game players
7. Seals With Clubs: Worldwide Rank #44 – 7-Day Rolling Average of 74 cash-game players

Traffic data from PokerScout.com