PokerStars consolidated its No1 position in regulated Italian poker during March and April, albeit against a backdrop of substantial declines in both the ring game and tournament formats.
The global poker leader accounted for 26% of the €18.1m of gross gaming revenue (GGR) from ring games generated by the dot.it segregated player pool in April 2012, broadly consistent with the 25.8% it held in February. PokerStars also claimed 39% of the €14.4m tournament poker market last month, up from 35.8% in February, according to the latest dataset from Italian regualtor AAMS.
However, Italian ring game GGR of €18.1m in April represented a 15.3% fall on the figure of €21.4m recorded in February, as the market suffered month-over-month falls of 6.5% in March and 9.4% in April. This followed on the back of a 13% fall during February, meaning cash poker revenues have fallen by more than 26% since January. Tournament poker held up better, but also fell a further 6.2% during March and April, from €15.4m to €14.4m.
In cash games, Lottomatica increased its grip on second place by gaining 1% since February to generate 13.5% of cash game revenue in April, ahead of bwin.party-owned GiocoDigitale.it with 6.25%, Snai with 4.36% and Sisal with 3.77% (see below for full rundown). Among the networks, Microgame also retained its position as the leading network for cash games in Italy, according to calculations by Casino Choice based on AAMS data. The large network of sites operating on its People’s Poker network and software that were listed by AAMS accounted for 26.38% of the market in April, ahead of Playtech with 13.98%, bwin.party (including Ongame sites) with 12.69%.
In tournament poker, Lottomatica also claimed second position behind PokerStars in the room rankings, its 11.69% market share keeping it ahead of ahead of GiocoDigtale.it with 8.69%. Microgame, which hosts WSOP-branded tournaments in Italy under a JV with Caesars Interactive Entertainment, also led the way among the networks for the tournament format, albeit with a far smaller market share than for cash poker, the skins on its networks accounting for 20.43% of GGR from poker tournaments in April, ahead of Playtech’s member sites with 12.69%.
Italy online poker market – April 2012 (% of GGR)*
Cash games – leading rooms
PokerStars - 26% (25.8%)
Lottomatica/Totosi – 13.5% (12.5%)
Gioco Digitale – 6.25% (6.43%)
Snai – 4.36% (4.4%)
Sisal – 3.77% (4.05%)
Cash games - leading networks**
Microgame/People’s Poker Network – 26.38% (27.6%)
Playtech – (including Snai, Sisal, Cogetech, Eurobet) – 13.98% (13.59%)
bwin.party (including Ongame sites) – 12.69% (12.36%)
Gioco Online Italia -4.42% (4.72%)
Tournaments – leading rooms/networks**
PokerStars – 39%
Microgame/People’s Network – 20.43%
bwin.party (including Ongame sites) – 14.46%
Playtech – (including Snai, Sisal, Cogetech, Eurobet – 12.69%
Lottomatica -11.69%
*February 2012 figures in brackets
** Calculations by Casino Choice based on AAMS data
