The Delaware Lottery released its August iGaming figures, and the results for poker were very encouraging. Delaware’s online poker sites pulled in $38,655, which was a 24% increase from July. Given Delaware’s relatively small population (917,000), $38.6k isn’t a bad haul.
Overall iGaming Revenue stays flat
Online casino games have previously received most of the headlines for the Blue Hen State’s operation. However, August saw Delaware’s overall online gaming remain stagnant – moving from $172,496 in July to $172,854 last month. Focusing solely on casino games, they experienced a 5.3% decrease in August.
Individual Casino Breakdown
Delaware Park continues to lead the state’s three casinos after hauling in $122,136 (roughly 70% of the market). Dover Downs finished a distant second in August iGaming revenue with $34,920 while Harrington Raceway took in $15,797.
Focusing on poker, Delaware Park made $23,499, which was 25% more than last month. Dover Downs actually saw an 8% decrease in their iPoker revenue after making $8,885. Harrington Raceway’s poker operation experienced a 124% increase – moving from $2,794 to $6,269.
What’s Behind the Online Poker Surge?
Aside from seasonal trends, another thing helping Delaware’s iPoker revenue increase are software upgrades – most notably a new Mac client being offered. Tom Cook, Delaware Secretary of Finance, spoke about this upgrade by saying the following:
The success of Internet gaming for the state, the casinos, and players depends on creating a fun and easy experience for everyone. We’re excited to offer an iGaming option that doesn’t require a poker download, and we’re thrilled Mac users can now participate. These enhancements to the technology and to the games themselves allow Delaware to service a whole new segment of players.
Good Results Ahead of Interstate Poker
The fact that Delaware’s iPoker market experienced a 24% increase last month bodes well for the future. This is especially the case when you consider that Delaware and Nevada are getting closer to sharing player liquidity. Neither state is very big and their combined population is under 3.7 million people. However, they still stand to do much better together, which bodes well for the future of Delaware online poker.