Poker Rooms are Boomingby Allyn Jaffrey Shulman | Published: Jan 01, 1999 |
 
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A number of years ago, the waning interest in poker caused some Las Vegas casinos to close down their poker rooms. Harrah's Las Vegas and the Venetian removed the game from the casino, citing lack of customer demand. Many other casinos closed their poker rooms and many that opened in 2000 didn't even have poker rooms (Aladdin, Arizona Charlie's East, Suncoast, and Terrible's).
Then, two interesting phenomena occurred. People began playing poker on the Internet and Steve Lipscomb, chief executive officer of the World Poker Tour , began to film and air 13 major poker tournaments from around the country on the Travel Channel . People began watching poker on television and practicing poker online. Casinos nationwide experienced a resurgence of the excitement surrounding poker rooms. There is an emergent interest amongst people, young and old, who want to learn and play the game.
It has recently been reported that Frank Streshley, senior research analyst for the Nevada Gaming Control Board, confirms there has been a revival in poker games. Casino revenue for poker in Las Vegas reached almost $6 million in 2003, which was 32.6 percent more than the previous year! Streshley attributed this resurgence to the growth of online poker and poker tournaments on television.
Interestingly enough, this contradicts former predictions that online poker rooms might seize revenue from land-based casinos. Streshley's statistics prove that online poker is a silent ally of land-based casinos.