The regulated U.S. online poker market is taking a lot longer to mature than many would like. So far, only Delaware, New Jersey and Nevada have legalized the game, while other states like California, New York and Pennsylvania still have some work to do on the legislative side. Nevertheless, there are definitely some things to be excited about regarding the future of American iPoker. So let’s discuss four specific factors that will eventually make the U.S. online poker market a huge hit among players.
- America has a Lot of Potential Online Poker players to draw from
While most iPoker players would prefer that things just go back to the old days, where sites operated in grey areas and nobody was separated, it doesn’t look like this will happen any time soon. So the big hope is that, eventually, some of the bigger countries/states will begin legalizing the game and create more liquidity. The good news about the U.S. is that they have an absolutely massive market to draw from with 319 million residents. Obviously it will take a while before these players are connected, but the nice thing is that the potential is there.
- There will be Many Recreational Players in U.S. iPoker
One of the biggest problems with poker from a global perspective is that recreational numbers are dwindling. Part of this is because players have gotten so much better, and easy money is mostly a thing of the past. However, an even larger part is that there have been so many legal episodes in poker’s history that the game is often inaccessible to the average person. But once more American states begin regulating online poker and sharing player pools, this will give recreational players better access to the game. Combine this with mainstream advertising and it’s much more likely that poker will connect with everyday people.
- Sharing International Players is a Definite Possibility
New Jersey has yet to share liquidity like Delaware and Nevada are doing. However, they did cause some excitement when, in 2014, they discussed sharing player pools with the U.K. This has yet to come to fruition, but it does show that New Jersey (and probably other states) will be interested in sharing liquidity in future years. And this will be key to creating a truly large market that can offer the type of big tournaments and cash games that players want to see.
- More Money will be in the Poker Economy
California, which is one of the states closest to legalizing iPoker, has the world’s seventh-largest economy by themselves at $2.3 trillion. As a whole, the U.S. has an $18.3 trillion economy, meaning, with only three regulated states, there’s a lot of potential money missing from online poker. If more states continue regulating the game and bringing players into the fold, this will no doubt pump millions of dollars back into the iPoker economy and help the game’s popularity immensely.