Has the poker industry ever had it so good?

11.10.2008 | 9:05 am | Poker

As we come to the end of be 2008 World Series of Poker competition, on reflection 2008 has been something of a momentous year for the poker industry even if the US ban regarding online poker did take away much of the shine. We have nearly $15 million shared between the first and second place in the World Series of Poker main table, we have seen TV companies falling over themselves to get poker onto the screen and player numbers continue to rise even in the midst of the current worldwide recession.

After the 2007 ban regarding US poker there had been many so-called “experts” who had suggested the industry was dead and could not survive without the US market. While it would be foolish to suggest that the US ban was anything but unhelpful it has focused minds on the rest of the world which had to some extent been ignored in favour of the US market which is/was absolutely enormous. However, there are signs that the US authorities may well be softening their stance and possibly looking towards the lifting of the ban in due course. Now that we have a new president on the way to the White House perhaps now is the time to push for change?

If the US authorities were to reverse the earlier ban this would be the icing on the cake as far as major players in the industry are concerned. The ongoing demise of the US off-line casino industry is of major concern and could actually speed up the lifting of the ban if trading conditions continue to deteriorate. However, online casinos are still performing fairly well bearing in mind the current situation and when you consider the lack of physical buildings and equipment required this leaves much more to plough into the marketing and promotions, trying to ensure further growth in the business.