Online Poker Traffic Rises 2.2 Percent
The newly opened French market helped boost online poker traffic by 2.2 percent this week. This marks the 4th straight weekly rise according to PokerScout.com, a site that monitors online poker “real cash” player traffic.
Industry consolidation is helping to change ranks for some online poker networks.
While the much ballyhooed PartyGaming/Bwin planned merger won’t take place until 2011, Betfair joining the Ongame Network translated into some dramatic results. Player count there rose by 30 percent in just two days.
From PokerScout.com:
That acquisition seems to have worked out well so far, as the increase in Ongame player counts is 86% of the pre-merger average for Betfair, indicating a high level success in getting Betfair's customers playing on the new network. Ongame, which had been languishing in sixth place since moving its French players to a separate network, regained a solid hold on fifth place this week.
PokerScout.com notes that the Party/Bwin merger, if it were to happen today, would result in the new entity only becoming the 3rd largest online poker room and having just under half of the number two online poker room, Full Tilt’s, traffic.
Ace King, Gambling911.com
