The month of September has brought good fortune to the world of online poker. Poker providers have seen an increase in traffic, in some cases a dramatic increase, as of late. The giants Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars lead the way with a 28% and 34% increase, respectively. With the close of FTOPS IX, this is a remarkable increase for Full Tilt Poker.
Reasons behind the increases could range from the popularity of the PokerStars’ WCOOP, college students now trying to put off their studies, or people trying to counteract the uncertaincies of job security, pensions, and investments.
It’s been reported that since Lehman Brothers’ announcement of collapse, Duplicate Poker’s traffic increased 25%. Daniel Flamberg, Duplicate Poker’s Chief Marketing Officer, said, “At a time when we are all worried about our money and generally feel helpless, it looks like Americans are seeking solace in a game they know and love, where the rules are clear, the action is transparent and the outcome can be affected by our own skills.”
Other sites that are seeing an increase include Titan Poker (2%), Party Poker (1%), Mansion Poker (12%), Paradise Poker (20%), DoylesRoom (12%), and Pacific Poker (7%). Two rooms that are seeing decreases are Everest, by 3%, and Ultimate Bet, by 2%. Lingering emotions of the recent scandal surrounding Ultimate Bet may be the lying cause of that decrease. Still, these are quite small when compared to the overall online poker market, which in spite of all other economic forecasts, is doing quite well.