The Poker Business
The Business of Poker
Poker Royalty: In Front of the Business of Poker
If you want the latest news regarding the poker business and industry, including news from the major players and executives that shape poker, check this section of our website on a regular basis. This section is designed to provide you with poker news articles and links to keep you abreast of new developments within the poker industry.
The growth in the poker industry has been fuelled by many factors including increased television exposure, celebrity participation, high net-worth prizes and ease of online access through broadband penetration. The average amount players are spending on tournament buy-ins has been steadily increasing as well as shown in the chart below.
TOTAL Avg. |
INDEX vs. |
||
2006 |
$1,318(US) |
107 |
|
2005 |
$1,237(US) |
130 |
|
2004 |
$952(US) |
140 |
|
2003 |
$681(US) |
131 | |
2002 |
$521(US) |
107 |
2006 Poker Demographics
- 52% Internet Poker players have a bachelors degree or higher
- 75% of those who did not and would not try internet gambling where married while 56% of internet gamblers were married
- 37% of casino goers gamble online as compared to 5% of the general population
Most studies suggest that demographics of online gambling are broadly similar to those of the offline gambling population, with a spread of income, gender and education.
According to this 2006 survey* the typical Internet Poker Player was likely to:
- Be male 73.8%
- Be age 26-35 (26.9%)
- Play two to three times per week (26.8%)
- Have played for two to three years (23.6)
- Play between one to two hours per session (33.3%)
- Play one table (24.1%) or two tables (24%) at a time
- Play both cash games and tournaments (34%)
- Play at big blind levels of $0.50 to $2.00(US) (61.2%)
- Play with 6-10%of their bankroll on the table at any one time (23%)
- Claim that they are average in terms of skill
- Feel that there is slightly more skill involved in poker than luck (31.9%)
- Travel over 100 miles to play poker at least 2 times per year (38%)
NBC Battle of Champions
— This WPT produced special has been featured on NBC on Super Bowl Sunday the past two years to compete with Fox's pre-game Super Bowl coverage. The 2004 special was watched by more than 10 million viewers and scored a 3.0 rating, which made it second only to Fox's Super Bowl pre-game show.
NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship
— The 2005 tournament averaged four million television viewers for each of the six telecasts (eight total hours) and six million people watched the two-hour season finale on NBC. This event marked another milestone as it was the first time a network had produced its own poker event. The National Heads-Up Poker Championship aired for four consecutive Sundays in May, 2005, with the first episode airing as the lead-in show for the Kentucky Derby.
Travel Channel World Poker Tour
— The World Poker Tour is the highest rated show in the history of the Travel Channel and is now seen in 60 countries worldwide. Season 1 averaged a .85 cable rating on initial airing growing to a 1.1 rating on re-airs. However, Season 2 of the WPT reached 25 million unique viewers.
ESPN World Series of Poker
— A little-known fact is that ESPN has aired the WSOP since 1994. In 2004, ESPN aired twenty-two 1-hour segments every Tuesday night and averaged a 1.9 cable rating; a significant increase of 58% from 2003's 1.2 rating when ESPN aired seven 1-hour segments.
Fox Sports Net Poker Superstars Invitational
— The first season of Poker Superstars Invitational increased the household audience on Fox Sports Net by 96% compared to the same time slot one year before (Source: Nielsen Media Research).
Overall, Poker Superstars Invitational averaged a .48 rating, including a series-high .69 national rating on October 3, 2005, making this episode the second most watched poker telecast on Fox Sports Net (behind only the live four-hour American Poker Championship special on Fox Sports Net). Fox Sports Net telecasts 34 episodes of the Poker Superstars Invitational for a grand total of 36 original hours of televised poker.
Televised poker has lifted the game from back rooms to a world-wide sport churning out a whole new generation of poker players in the process.
Casinos across the country are witnessing a transformation of the players in their poker rooms, with the average age of players becoming dramatically younger. Poker delivers results to a highly sought after demographic – men between the ages of 18 to 40.
Statistical Evidence
The following source for demographics and statistics were provided by Nielsen Media Research:
- Poker's television audience is:
- 70% male
- 44% young men, ages 21 to 49
- Male demographic, 21 to 49, more likely than the US avg to:
- Have 1+ years of college (114 index)
- 4+ years of college (138 index)
- Household income $50K+ (121 index)
- Household income $50K+ and college (138 index)
- Women demographics:
- 30% to 40% of online players
- 5% of live action players
- Casinos report:
- 370% increase in tournament play
- 60% increase in live poker action