The industry growth of poker and its future

Remember when a game of poker meant a visiting a dimly-lit back room in a bar – or a late-night session round the coffee table at home? The cards were worn, the ashtrays overflowing… and tempers often frayed.

Now look at the slick and glossy world of poker. What a change!

We all know that poker is most likely to be played online today – via one of the smartly presented, slick, high-tech online casinos.

The digital revolution has changed many parts of our lives – from controlling your central heating to booking a doctor’s appointment. But who would have predicted that the future of the classic global card game of poker would lie in the virtual world of the internet?

Poker gaming has been one of the big success stories of the last few years. The online poker market has expanded hugely, due to innovative technologies which make it a more interactive activity for users to access their favourite genres such as card games.

How big is poker now?

Experts have studied the amazing transformation of this traditional card game. It has become one of the stars of the booming online casino world.

It is estimated that an total of around six million were already playing the game online ten years ago. The total number of players worldwide has grown even faster since then.

The latest estimates are that there are around 100 million players worldwide. More and more are joining every day.

This has mainly been fuelled by the spread of internet coverage and the increased availability of devices to access the web remotely. But the timeless appeal of poker itself has helped.

What was playing poker like before the internet?

The old school venues for playing poker might have been difficult to reach. The nearest casino or poker room may have been far from a player’s home – and not always open when they wanted.

The bricks-and-mortar venues may have been rather intimidating too – especially to newer players. And often the land-based casinos found it more profitable to fill spaces with slot machines than poker games.

Industry experts estimate only one per cent of physical casino’s revenue comes from poker games.

Why is online poker more popular?

The internet revolution means that keen players can find somewhere for a game of poker 24/7 – wherever they are. They can gab a quick hand while commuting to work or on a quiet evening at home.

From the casino’s point of view poker can be much more profitable. The overhead costs are much lower than for a physical casino.

More and more players are trying their hand at poker because the casinos can offer low stakes to attract large numbers of players – and big prizes because of the number of players.

The online casinos can also detect fraud and cheating much easier using sophisticated detection software. The rise of established and reputable online operators has given great reassurance to nervous poker players.

The history of online poker

The game started appearing online in the late 1990s. Online players were soon gaining their own reputations.

When one online player entered and then won the 2003 World Poker Series the old-school poker establishment had to take notice.

Increasingly the world’s top professionals have emerged from the online world – not the old bricks-and-mortar casinos.

Throughout the early 2000s bigger and stronger online poker operators established their reputations too. By 2010 there were more than 500 online poker operators.

The industry continued to grow over the next decade amongst other online industries according to recent market trends.

Both casual and professional players were forced to use online operators – there was nowhere else to play. They found the presentation smooth, slick, appealing and reliable.

More reliable financial transaction systems and more attractive graphics have given the internet version of the game a winning hand in many instances. The pandemic period resulted in many online poker operations recording doubling of business or more.

What is the future of online poker?

Increasingly relaxed legislation has gone hand-in-hand with tighter and more effective regulatory controls over the casino industry. Online poker has benefitted from this – making it seem more trustworthy for new players.

Poker still retains its edginess of course. Some of that is down to the neverending appeal of the game itself.

Poker player do not battle against the house like in classic casino games of roulette or blackjack. Instead poker players battle against each other.

It creates a different playing dynamic and one with eternal appeal. The game is unlikely to go out of fashion.

The growth of internet accessibility and the improvement and enlargement of online poker venues will only fuel the growth of the game.

That’s why experts say online poker has been dealt a great hand – and they expect it to continue to be a winner for both operators and players in the years ahead.