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NJ Cash Game And Tournament Traffic For The Week Of Feb. 12
One step forward, two steps back. That seems to be a consistent theme when talking about online poker traffic in New Jersey.
Both cash games and tournament traffic took a dive this week when compared to last week’s numbers. It is somewhat of a surprise because big online poker tournament series tend to draw a decent amount of players to the platforms for both tournaments and cash games.
All the major Sunday tournaments, except for Pala Poker’s Mega Rebuy, met guarantees – but not by much. And overall, the total number entries across platforms was 656, down 11.95% from last week’s number of 745.
On the cash game side of things, PokerStars once again claimed the top spot with the most traffic, but it was partypoker that posted the smallest decline in traffic.
The weekly average cash game traffic saw a 1.7% decrease with 285 players taking to the virtual felt compared to last week’s 290. Peak cash game traffic also fell with an average of 651 players down from 699 players last week for a 6.8% decrease.
While this week might have a been a step back, it’s hopeful next week will be a step forward. The New Jersey Poker Classic II is still running at 888poker, and PokerStars just announced the inaugural New Jersey Turbo Series scheduled to begin this week.
Both series have some enticing guarantees that will hopefully attract players and keep them at the tables.
It is important to note when analyzing the last week’s traffic that we were unable to collect cash game traffic data for WSOP/888 and partypoker on Tuesday, Feb. 13. To accommodate, we took the average of the week without Tuesday’s data and used that number for the charts and comparisons in this report.
Cash game traffic was also unavailable for Pala Poker for the entire week.
With that, let’s take a detailed look back at the cash game and tournament trends in the New Jersey online poker market for the week ending Feb. 18, 2018.
New Jersey’s online poker operators
New Jersey has seven online poker sites operating on four separate networks.
During the week of Feb. 12 – Feb. 18, New Jersey online poker sites averaged 285 cash game players, a decrease of 1.7% from the previous week.
Peak traffic numbers were around 651 players, a decrease of 6.8% from the previous week.
Here’s how those players are distributed across the four online poker networks.
Borgata-MGM-partypoker
- Platform provider: partypoker
- Sites in network: BorgataPoker.com – NJ.PartyPoker.com – Poker.NJ.PlayMGM.com
Seven-day rolling cash game traffic data:
- Seven-day rolling peak traffic average: 186 cash game players – up 5.9% compared to the previous seven days
- Cash game traffic data was not available for Tuesday, Feb. 13. The data for that day represents the weekly average
WSOP-888
- Platform provider: 888
- Sites in network: WSOP.com – us.888poker.com
Seven-day rolling cash game traffic data:
- Seven-day rolling peak traffic average: 225 cash game players – down 9.2% compared to the previous seven days
- Cash game traffic data was not available for Tuesday, Feb. 13. The data for that day represents the weekly average
PokerStars NJ
- Platform provider: PokerStars
- Sites in network: PokerStarsNJ.com
Seven-day rolling cash game traffic data:
- Seven-day rolling peak traffic average: 253 cash game players – down 4.7% compared to the previous seven days.
Pala Poker
- Platform provider: Pala
- Sites in network: PalaPoker.com
Cash game traffic data was unavailable for Pala Poker at the time the data for this article was collected.
*Cash game traffic data provided by PokerScout.com and compiled Feb. 20, 2018.
Evaluating cash game traffic trends
PokerStars is back on top for the week, capturing just over 38% of the traffic in the market. There is nothing really to celebrate, though, as the traffic numbers still came in behind last week’s figure, showing a 4.7% decline in traffic.
In fact, all three of the top operators posted a decline in traffic when compared to last week. partypoker posted the best of the worst, with a 3.7% decrease in cash game traffic for the week. (Data was unavailable for Pala Poker at the time the data was collected.)
WSOP/888 had a great week last week but couldn’t post numbers in positive territory three weeks in a row. They saw the most significant decline in traffic with a 7.8% decrease compared to last week.
Looking ahead, WSOP/888 is still running the New Jersey Poker Classic, and PokerStars will begin hosting the New Jersey Turbo Series this week.
It looked like the start of a promising month, quickly turned into more of the same mixed results for online poker in New Jersey. With two major tournament series on the calendar, there is still hope for a strong finish to the month.
Online poker will be entering a busy time, and WSOP satellites will continue to make their way to the platforms, so look for the uptick to continue.
Tournament Report: A look at the Sunday Majors
The four online poker networks host a signature Sunday tournament. This week the major tournaments were:
- The Borgata/partypoker/MGM online poker network hosted a $40,000 guarantee tournament with a $215 buy-in.
- The WSOP.com and 888 network hosted the $350 buy-in, $80,000 guaranteed Sunday Spectacular as part of the New Jersey Poker Classic II that is currently running.
- PokerStars NJ hosted the Sunday Special, a $200 buy-in with a guarantee of $45,000.
- Pala Poker hosted the $1,000 Guaranteed Pala Mega Rebuy with a buy-in of $30.
Major tournament results for Feb. 18, 2018
Last week, tournament entries declined 11.9% from the week prior. As mentioned earlier, this is a little surprising because New Jersey usually shows up for big tournament series.
Knowing this, look for tournament numbers to rebound next week with the New Jersey Turbo Series on Poker Stars joins the New Jersey Poker Classic II on WSOP/888 to create a jam-packed tournament schedule.
Add to the WSOP satellites that are running through the weekend, and there’s a little something for everyone and let’s hope that translates into positive numbers for next week.
Look for these marquee events on Sunday, Feb. 25:
- The Borgata/partypoker/MGM online poker network is scheduled to host its usual $40,000 guarantee tournament with a $215 buy-in.
- The WSOP.com and 888poker network will host a $500 buy-in, $100,000 guaranteed tournament as part of the New Jersey Poker Classic II that is currently running.
- PokerStars NJ will host a $200 5-card PLO tournament as part of the Turbo Series with a guarantee of $12,000, along with its regular $200 $45,000 guaranteed Sunday Special.
- Pala Poker will host the $1,000 Guaranteed Pala Mega Rebuy with a buy-in of $30.
Note: For the latest and most up-to-date tournament information, always check the poker client.
This is the second week in a row that three of the four operators exceeded their guarantees. Pala Poker is still struggling to meet theirs; this week’s guarantee of the Sunday Mega Rebuy was reduced from $2,000 to $1,000.
And with that, here’s a look at the total number of entries for the most significant tournament held on each of the online poker networks in New Jersey:
The post NJ Online Gaming Scoop: Cash Game And Tournament Traffic For The Week Of Feb. 12 appeared first on .
William Hill Fined By British Gambling Commission
One of the largest sports book operators in the world is facing a hefty fine over its business in the United Kingdom. The British Gambling Commission said in a news …
It Appears East Windsor Casino’s Biggest Selling Point Is A Parking Garage
Casinos are popping up a frenetic pace across New England. Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut all have projects in the works. Last year, the Connecticut legislature authorized the state’s two gaming tribes, the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan Tribes, to build a joint satellite casino in East Windsor, Connecticut.
The East Windsor casino is a reaction to the MGM Resorts casino opening this fall just over the border in Springfield, Massachusetts.
When they’re complete, the two casinos will be about a 15-minute drive from one another and will be competing for the same customers.
The tribes revealed some general plans for their satellite casinos last week. While it’s scant on details, the plans for the East Windsor casino have some wondering if it will offer much in the way of competition to the Massachusetts casino.
Comparing the two casinos
MGM Springfield is a near-billion-dollar casino project.
When it opens its doors in September, the property will boast 3,000 slot machines and 100 table games. Other plans include:
- A 250-room four-star hotel
- Eight restaurants, dining options, and bars
- 26,000 square feet of retail space
- On-site entertainment, including a bowling alley and cinema
By comparison, the East Windsor casino project has a price tag of just $300 million. It will house 2,000 slot machines and around 100 table games on a single floor that is devoted almost entirely to gaming.
There are preliminary plans for dining and entertainment options. Nonetheless, at $300 million, don’t anticipate finding the same number or level of amenities as MGM Springfield. What you should expect is a basic food court, a couple sit-down restaurants or bars, and maybe some local live entertainment on the weekends.
The property won’t have a hotel. It won’t have any retail space of note. And it won’t have any celebrity chef restaurants.
Based on the plans put forth last week, the most impressive part of the East Windsor casino appears to be the five-story 1,800-space parking garage.
The East Windsor casino is going to better resemble Plainridge Park Casino in Plainville, Massachusetts than it will Foxwoods, Mohegan Sun, Wynn Boston Harbor, or MGM Springfield.
That makes the East Windsor casino what can best be categorized as a gambling joint. Customers are going to go to this establishment primarily to mash slot buttons and play low-limit table games.
Can East Windsor compete with Springfield?
The proximity of the two casinos doesn’t bode well for the East Windsor project. Even if they’re coming from the south, it’s only an extra 15-20 minute drive to reach MGM Springfield.
If customers have the choice, that extra 15 minutes isn’t going to sway them one way or the other. And when push comes to shove, MGM Springfield is simply going to have more to offer.
One advantage the tribal casino might have over MGM is its ability to draw people who also go to Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun. Reason being, it’s likely the satellite casino will link its rewards program with the other tribal properties.
But other than serious gamblers, I don’t think that will be enough to overcome MGM’s other advantages.
The post It Appears East Windsor Casino’s Biggest Selling Point Is A Parking Garage appeared first on Play MA.
New Jersey Online Poker Still Flailing in Isolation While Online Casino Revenues Reach a New High
Live and Online:
Online poker operators in New Jersey collectively suffered their worst January on record in terms of revenue since the market launched more than five years ago, according to figures released last week by the Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE).
The state regulator reported that a combined $1.95 million was generated at internet poker rooms in the state marking the first time that revenue has fallen below $2 million in a month that has traditionally been one of the busiest of the year for online poker.
WSOP circuit stops by the Rio this upcoming Friday
Isildur1 is deep in the Main Event
The 2018 Partypoker LIVE MILLIONS Germany festival has been a big hit with all of the tournaments managing to create bigger prize pools than the original. A number of six-figure scores have been taken down, one of them going to Patrik Antonius’ way.
WSOP and ESPN release summer TV schedule
Televised and live streaming coverage of the World Series of Poker will once again be in the expert hands of ESPN and PokerCentral in 2018. On Thursday, the two media companies announced the schedule for live television coverage of the series in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In the announcement, ESPN and Poker Central said they are bringing 170 hours of WSOP coverage to viewers straight from the Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino, including 40 hours on ESPN and ESPN2.
Footage of the WSOP Main Event not found on ESPN will once again be broadcast exclusively on PokerGO. The complete PokerGO live streaming schedule will be released at a later date.
“We’re ecstatic that ESPN and Poker Central continue to raise the bar and deliver more live poker content to audiences across the globe,” said Ty Stewart, executive director of the World Series of Poker. “Fans today demand immediacy and wall-to-wall coverage and this year’s offering delivers on that in spades.”
ESPN/ESPN2 Live WSOP Broadcast Schedule
| Date | Time (ET) | Event | Channel | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2 | 8:00 PM – 1:00 AM | WSOP Main Event: Day 1A | ESPN2 | |
| July 3 | 8:00 PM – 11:00 PM | WSOP Main Event: Day 1B | ESPN2 | |
| July 4 | 8:30 PM – 12:00 AM | WSOP Main Event: Day 1C | ESPN2 | |
| July 5 | 10:00 PM – 12:00 AM | WSOP Main Event: Day 2A/B | ESPN2 | |
| July 6 | 8:30 PM – 12:00 AM | WSOP Main Event: Day 2C | ESPN2 | |
| July 7 | 6:00 PM – 10:30 PM | WSOP Main Event: Day 3 | ESPN2 | |
| July 8 | 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM | WSOP Main Event: Day 4 | ESPN | |
| July 9 | 10:00 PM – 2:00 AM | WSOP Main Event: Day 5 | ESPN2 | |
| July 10 | 8:00 PM – 11:00 PM | WSOP Main Event: Day 6 | ESPN | |
| July 11 | 12:30 AM – 2:00 AM | WSOP Main Event: Day 7 | ESPN2 | Play down to the final table. |
| July 12 | 9:00 PM – END | WSOP Main Event: Day 8 | ESPN | Play down to six players. |
| July 13 | 9:00 PM – END | WSOP Main Event: Day 9 | ESPN | Play down to three players. |
| July 14 | 9:00 PM – END | WSOP Main Event: Day 10 | ESPN | Play down to a winner. |
| July 17 | 12:00 AM – 2:00 AM | WSOP Big One for One Drop | ESPN2 | |
| July 17 | 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM | WSOP Big One for One Drop | ESPN2 | Tape replay. |
| July 17 | 9:00 PM – END | WSOP Big One for One Drop | ESPN2 | |
| July 21 | 11:00 PM – 1:00 AM | WSOP Big One for One Drop | ESPN2 | Tape replay. |
Note: The posted schedule is subject to change. Events will show hole cards and be on a 30-minute delay in conjunction with gaming regulations.
WSOP Main Event, Big One for One Drop coverage
Last year, ESPN broadcasted live, same-day coverage of the WSOP Main Event from start to finish for the first time. And by most accounts, it was a resounding success.
In an agreement with the WSOP that lasts through 2020, ESPN and PokerGO will bring similar extensive live coverage of the tournament to its airwaves this year and beyond.
The 2018 WSOP will include broadcast 40 hours of live coverage on ESPN and ESPN2. The coverage will consist of daily Main Event coverage from July 2 – July 14.
Additionally, ESPN will be providing live, same-day coverage of The Big One for One Drop on July 16-17.
The $1 million buy-in tournament returns to the WSOP schedule after a four-year hiatus. It is likely to attract the biggest names in poker, making it an excellent candidate for primetime audiences.
“ESPN has a long-running relationship with the World Series of Poker, and we are always looking for ways to bring viewers the most preeminent coverage,” said Doug White, ESPN senior director, Programming & Acquisitions. “By doubling down on our broadcast and digital platform coverage, we’re going to bring fans and viewers even closer to the sport’s biggest events from all aspects and angles.”
Bracelet event coverage on PokerGO
Outside of the ESPN coverage, Poker Central will produce 130 hours of coverage to be available through its subscription service, PokerGO.
“Last year, both ESPN viewership and PokerGO subscription numbers were very strong throughout the WSOP Main Event,” said JR McCabe, the chief digital officer of Poker Central, in a press release. “This year, we’re doubling down on live coverage of the World Series of Poker by adding the Big One for One Drop and bringing even more live poker to fans worldwide.”
The post ESPN, Poker Central Announce 170 Hours Of Live WSOP Coverage In 2018 appeared first on .
Why no progress for iGaming out West?
While East, Midwest Contemplate Online Poker And Casinos, Western States Lag Behind
The current US online poker and casino landscape is still sparse, while its future is fractured by geography.
The post While East, Midwest Contemplate Online Poker And Casinos, Western States Lag Behind appeared first on Online Poker Report.
Wynn Boston Harbor still dealing with scandal fallout
Wynn Resorts is in full damage-control mode following allegations of sexual misconduct by Steve Wynn. Wall Street Journal broke the story. The subsequent fallout has been steep.
Wynn announced his resignation on Feb.6 but has denied the allegations.
In a statement, Wynn said, “As I have reflected upon the environment this has created — one in which a rush to judgment takes precedence over everything else, including the facts — I have reached the conclusion I cannot continue to be effective in my current roles.”
Wynn is the company’s namesake and now former CEO and Chairman of the Board. While his resignation has taken some of the heat of the company, it wasn’t enough to completely insulate the company from further scrutiny.
The company is being investigated in multiple jurisdictions. Moreover, in Massachusetts, its gaming license could even be on the line.
“There are still concerns whether Steve Wynn has control, stock ownership, and those types of things,” said Ed Bedrosian, executive director of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. “We’ll have to find out what the resignation actually means.”
That would be an unprecedented development, considering Wynn Resorts is in the process of building a $2.4 billion casino just outside Boston.
Massachusetts faces big test
Massachusetts is a new player in the casino industry. However, the Bay State already has a reputation as a serious regulatory regime. The state’s gaming board set the gold standard on several fronts, most notably for its transparency and responsible gaming policies.
Beyond that, the state has been lauded for its measured approach to casino expansion, including the awarding of licenses.
The Wynn project is shaping up to be the first major test for the state’s gaming commission. Major outlets like the Boston Globe are calling on the Massachusetts Gaming Commission to consider revoking Wynn Resorts’ license.
But doing so could wreak havoc on the state’s fledgling casino industry. The fallout could include lawsuits and injunctions that would stall the project indefinitely.
Even if the MGC is justified in revoking the Wynn license at this point in time, it might not want to. Construction is well underway. The MGC would not only have to find a new company to take over the license, it would have to find a company willing to take over the ambitious project.
Few casino corporations are in the habit of building multi-billion dollar casinos. The ones that are capable of tackling such a major building project aren’t in the market for reclamation projects. Any company interested in a multi-billion dollar Boston casino is going to want to design it from the ground up. Taking over a half-complete project would be a tough sell to stockholders.
Who knew what, and when?
How the MGC responds will depend on what its investigation turns up.
The MGC has been blindsided by the allegations against Wynn, particularly the $7.5 million settlement with a former employee that wasn’t disclosed to the MGC during the suitability investigation.
MGC Chairman Stephen Crosby made it clear, Wynn Resorts’ license will depend on what and when the Wynn board knew about the allegations and settlement. The board will also need to explain why it wasn’t disclosed to the MGC.
“A central question is what did the board of directors and central staff know, and when did they know it,” Crosby told local press.
The post Are Wynn’s Casino Days Numbered In Massachusetts? appeared first on Play MA.