The independent online poker monitor Pokerscout’s latest Q1-2016 assessment of global online poker traffic shows a further 1.3 percent quarter-on-quarter decline, perpetuating the steady negative trend that has prevailed for the past three years.
The monitor’s recorded numbers show that seven day occupied seat average numbers have declined from 56,768 in 2013 to 38,464 currently – an aggregate reduction over the three years of 32.24 percent.
Possible reasons for the decline range from new regulation and tax burdens to the plethora of alternative gambling verticals luring poker players into other offers due to the ease of access which technology improvements have made possible.
Poker operators are fighting the downward trend with more diverse products, reward programs and promotions, and realigning their targets with the recreational as opposed to professional player
Among the successful networks that have been reversing the downswing is Microgaming’s MPN which through a combination of the above strategies and the recruitment of new operators like PKR has achieved a 32 percent traffic improvement in the first quarter of 2016, Pokerscout notes.
Operators who intend to remain successful in the poker business – especially with the emerging millennials demographic – will need to keep an open mind on diversification and certainly creative thinking and innovation in the months and years ahead.