Despite new marketing efforts and a banner year for the online poker tournament, a new study has revealed that online poker numbers are down for France. This downward trend is reported to have begun in 2011, and though most people hoped that 2014 would breathe new life into the world of online poker, the numbers appear to continue to decline.
Already, in the first quarter of the year, there are 12% fewer online poker accounts than during the same quarter last year.
Cash bets are also down, falling by 19% from last year and 28% from 2012. The only glimpse of hope is in tournament poker, where there was actually growth of 9%.
Of course, this small amount of growth in just one sector of online poker and not enough to buoy the rest of the industry. While bets are up, actual players are down, even in the tournaments, falling by at least 12%.
According to government officials, the negative statistics should not be seen as a lack of interest in the sport.
Razzy Hammadi, of the Committee on Economic Affairs, advised that the committee should “simply realize that despite significant investments in advertising and development, poker has now gone a little out of fashion.”
Join the Conversation