On Wednesday, May 9, the American Gaming Association (AGA) made available their annual “State of the Union” report concerning commercial gaming and gambling in the United States. While much of the report didn’t offer any earth-shattering news, one section of the report revealed interesting data that was collected through surveys the AGA conducted both on and off-line this year and last. Those surveys were conducted in the hopes of shining some light on exactly what types of gaming Americans enjoyed during 2011 as opposed to 2010.
At 4% of all respondents, an incredible 300% year over year increase was seen in the number of Americans who claimed they placed a wager online in 2011. The same surveys showed that only 1% of all Americans polled said they placed an online bet in 2010, and while the limited number of respondents may keep this staggering jump from indicating across-the-board increased activity in the American online gaming community, it is still too significant to be ignored. At BonusGeek.com we would love to get your input on the subject. With states like California, Illinois, New Jersey and Nevada pushing for legalized online gaming in the United States, what would legalized online wagering in your state mean to you? Did you place an online wager in 2010 or 2011?
As you probably know, the Department of Justice last April went after the three largest offshore poker room operators in the United States, and shut them down, accusing them of banking malpractice and other charges. While that instantly removed the three largest viable gambling options for the American online gamer, the research above by a very credible organization seems to show that Americans found a legal way to play, and wager on, their favorite games. Given such numbers, it is no wonder that Nevada and California are moving forward in an attempt to pass legislation that would allow them to be the first state to offer web-based poker.
As intriguing as that 300% increase is, more evidence of the desires of Americans to stay home and play online is evidenced in the pattern that survey respondents showed concerning their brick-and-mortar poker play. 7% of those responding claimed that they preferred attending live poker at a brick-and-mortar casino as their favorite gaming avenue. That number was unchanged from 2010, and coupled with the 300% uptick in reported online 2011 wagering from American gamers over 2010 activity, seems to offer politicians and prospective US poker players much-needed ammo in the fight to have legalized stateside online poker play. We would like to know what you think.
Do you believe that proponents for online poker and casino gambling in the United States may read too much into this most recent evidence, or do you believe this is proof positive that Americans want to game online? Just drop us a line in the comments field below to let us know your thoughts, as your opinion on this sensitive and timely topic is well respected and desired here at BonusGeek.com.