The world of poker has a fan base of millions. This famous card game is the highlight of every physical casino. And over time, it has become even more infamous in the digital world. According to World Tour Poker, more than 120 million players play online poker worldwide, with 60 million players from the US.
But what was the cause of this upsurge? The obvious answer – the lockdown during the pandemic-19. COVID-19 confined people within their homes while forcing physical casinos to stay shut completely.
Instead of letting this adversely affect the casino industry, the famous, big casinos decided to shift their business online. Since people spent all their time at home, playing online poker became a new hobby.
Let’s see the reasons why online poker is so famous and how its growth around the world.
Market Stats Related to Online Poker in Australia
Statista published a report in 2022 stating that the Aussie government made more than 6.5 billion AUD from gambling back in 2019. Online poker has a significant portion of this massive revenue as Australian online poker sites keep offering huge winnings for players.
This shows that the year-on-year increase was almost 1.5 billion AUD since 2010. And during the pandemic (2020-2021), according to Queensland Government, this revenue grew to more than 70%.
Market Stats Related to Online Poker in the USA
The US online gambling market is huge. But so is the online poker industry, with 1 out of 4 US residents playing online poker daily. With the US market embracing technological innovations, this number is expected to grow yearly.
According to various reports, in 2020, the online video poker industry made more than 14.6 billion USD. The demand for online poker has grown during and after the pandemic. In 2020, this demand surged to 30%.
In fact, in 2020, the five biggest online casino operators’ revenue grew by 20%, expected to rise to 30% by the end of 2026. According to these promising stats, online poker has become a notorious game in the online gambling industry.
Why is Online Poker So Popular?
We all know online poker is popular, but what are the reasons behind this popularity? After countless hours of research, here are the best reasons that we have found:
1. Wide Variety of Poker Variants
Poker isn’t just a one-variant card game. It has more than a few variants to give players the thrill of something new each time. Online casinos have more than a few variants that players can play anytime. Some of the most popular variants include:
- Omaha hi/low
- 5 card poker
- 7 stud poker
- Texas Hold’em (the most popular variant)
- Caribbean stud
With so many variants, players get the exposure and experience they need. This exposure and experience make each poker round more thrilling and harder to win.
2. Convenience
Another great reason for poker’s popularity is its easy accessibility. Unlike visiting physical casinos, online poker is not dependent on the player’s geographic location. It doesn’t matter where you live around the world. You can play these games on an online poker site easily.
3. Earning Skills
Poker game requires skills. Numerous people take poker as a game of luck. But, you should know that poker was created to display the players’ skills. This means that this card game is widely based on skills.
If you look at how the pro poker players game, you will find that they spend their time learning multiple poker strategies and designing their own to win the games. If you love poker, you should learn new game strategies and enhance your poker skills.
Pro players know that poker is a game of maths and betting while keeping the odds in mind. It’s best to invest more when the player has a statistical advantage. So, although poker can be challenging to learn, this complexity makes the game popular.
4. Desire to Win More Games
Every player plays games to win. If they say otherwise, it is untrue. But this doesn’t mean that money is another great motivator. Of course, many players want to win for the money at stake. And it is valid, but professional poker players play for the win.
