A new study says online poker in California could bring in 3 million in its first year and close to 5 million after a decade.
The study, by research institution and consultancy Academicon and market research company PokerScout says that if the state legalized online poker, revenues would be between $217 million to $263 million in the first year. After 10 years, revenues could reach $384 million, according to the study.
Researchers studied data on 4.6 million real-money online poker players for 2009 and 2010. Unregulated online poker play was at a peak in the U.S. during those years, the study said.
The study found that 178,300 online poker players in California generated an average of $867 per year in revenue for internet poker operators or about $155. California players accounted for 16% of US revenue and 4% of worldwide online poker revenue during those years, the study said.
The report said if the state were to restrict operations to a California-only player pool—which is currently the only way U.S. states can operate online gaming—then the estimates would be reduced to $217 million in the first year of operations to $263 million after 10 years.
