The 2013 Poker Year In Review: Part OneCasino Markets Continue To Show Positive Signs Of Growth |
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The following is part one of a three-part series looking back at the 2013 year in poker. This excerpt will appear in the Jan. 8 issue of Card Player Magazine.
American Casinos Enjoy Huge Year As Regulated Online Poker Makes Its Debut
The year 2013 was a monster year for the casino industry in the United States.
Nevada, Delaware and New Jersey all kicked off their respective online gambling industries. Nevada did so in April; Delaware began in October; and New Jersey commenced in November.
When Nevada’s Ultimate Poker took its first real-money wager it was the first time a poker site sanctioned by a U.S. state was in operation. Both Nevada and Delaware had legal online gaming prior to 2013, while New Jersey authorized the industry in the early part of 2013. It was a big win for the state, which is home to Atlantic City. The resort town has been slumping heavily for a handful of years, and analysts expected a couple of casinos to close down had the legislature not approved casino games on the web.
The aforementioned three states all have games that are reserved for only people physically within their respective borders, but 2014 could see some state partnerships to increase liquidity.
As for the brick-and-mortar side of things, there were a lot of positive developments.
In November, voters in New York approved a plan that calls for the construction of a handful of Las Vegas-style commercial casinos in the state. The Empire State already has tribal casinos, but the commercial properties signal a new era for New York gaming. Under current plans, there won’t be a casino coming to New York City, but that presumably could happen down the road.
In Massachusetts, gaming regulators made big strides in figuring out who should win the rights to build brand new casinos in the state. As 2013 was winding to a close, both MGM Resorts International and Wynn Resorts Ltd., two of the largest casino operators in the world, looked like the favorites to build in their respective regions. MGM wants to build in Springfield, while Wynn is eying the Boston area. The state legalized three such casinos in 2011.
This summer, traditional table games came to the state of Maryland, which was great news for poker players there. Such games were authorized by a statewide referendum in 2012. As part of gambling expansion moves in Maryland, another casino was authorized. MGM looks like the favorite to build a property in Prince George’s County, adjacent to the nation’s capitol. The site is at National Harbor. Over in Baltimore, Caesars Entertainment Corp. broke ground on its casino project in May. The $400 million casino is estimated to be 335,000 square feet and will house between 80 and 110 table games.
Ohio welcomed its fourth Las Vegas-style casino in March when the Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati opened its doors. That property followed Horseshoe Casino Cleveland, Hollywood Casino Columbus, and Hollywood Casino Toledo. Ohio legalized these casinos in 2009.
The state of Pennsylvania just saw one new casino open in 2013, and it didn’t legalize online poker, though it did briefly flirt with the idea and mandate that a study of online games be presented next year. However, it did pass a measure to allow gambling at its bars and taverns. Competition is also heating up for a new casino in Philadelphia, as a decision from the state on who can build is expected sometime in 2014. Steve Wynn decided to ditch his casino plan in the area.
In May, some New Hampshire lawmakers defeated a plan that would have allowed for a single Las Vegas-style casino in the state, but proponents of the idea are currently reworking the proposal and should be pushing the issue again in 2014. New Hampshire wants to keep pace with Massachusetts.
There were some efforts in Texas earlier this year to try and authorize poker, but those moves didn’t pass muster in one of the biggest anti-gambling states in the country.
In Illinois, a gambling expansion bill was defeated last summer and in October state officials rejected a plan that would have allowed existing gambling establishments to stay open 24 hours a day.
In 2012, the U.S. commercial casino industry captured $37.34 billion in gaming revenue, which was the second best ever behind the record set in 2007. While there are no official numbers available yet for 2013, signs do point toward another great year for the industry. As for tribal casinos, the $27.9 billion revenue captured in 2012 was their highest figure ever.
Though they don’t receive as much press, there were rumblings for new tribal casinos in states such as Wisconsin, North Carolina, California, and South Dakota in 2013.
With the onset of online gaming, as well as more brick-and-mortar gambling facilities, overall gaming revenue in the United States should keep growing. Everyone talks about Macau with its more than $40 billion in annual gaming revenue as the top gambling market in the world, but if you think of the U.S. as a whole, it is still by far the top market on the planet.
Up next: A look at the tournament poker year.
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