the UK online poker industry isn’t doing as well as it once was. At least that’s what the analysts are saying. But wait just a darn-tootin’ second! Not everybody thinks it’s accurate to say the UK online poker boom has fizzled out. And just who are these analysts anyways?
Well, according to the market research firm, Mintel, the numbers speak for themselves and online poker revenue is indeed beginning to subside. And no, Mintel is not a middle-aged, overweight card shark. Mintel is the internationally reputed consumer, media and market research company that got it’s digs researching food and drink market trends back in 1972. Founded in London, Mintel now operates offices in Chicago, Australia and China, bringing in over 500,000 group website hits per month and stealing over 10,000 press mentions every year.
In other words, blowing off Mintel’s market analyst is not like blowing off Sarah Palin’s new book “Going Rogue”. However, according to a recent eGaming Review Magazine op-ed blog post by online poker affiliate and former Party Poker room manager, Bill Rini, Mintel’s analysis leaves out several key points and is too quick to say that online poker has subsided in the UK.
Here’s the thing. Mintel is not necessarily saying the UK poker room boom is over. They have simply reported numbers. Others within the online gambling industry – the likes of gaming news editors – are opining these numbers are “suggesting” the boom is over.
Rini, on the other hand, says the industry is contracting more so than it is subsiding. For all you illiterates like myself, this means that while the industry continues to grow, business is simply being consolidated. The big online poker rooms are doing more business while the smaller guys are doing less. It’s the same thing you often see happen in the retail market, and Rini gets his point across by comparing this analysis to interviewing a few local shops (leaving out the big giants like Wal-mart and Home Depot), and deducing that retail is down overall.
If you ask me, it’s a good point. Mintel’s numbers do not even include the amount of online poker traffic that is brought in by the likes of Poker Stars and Full Tilt, which being privately owned company’s, are not required to report financial results. There’s absolutely nothing to refute the possibility that UK online poker players are leaving brand-name UK poker sites like Will Hill and Ladbrokes to throw down cards at Poker Stars. In fact, considering the popularity and size of Poker Stars (more online players than any other poker room), this is a very good probability. So, while overall business with publicly traded UK online poker rooms is down a bit, that doesn’t mean UK bettors are playing less online poker.
