The Curious State of the Poker Industry – Thriving or Dying?

Remember when you could watch High Stakes Poker and Poker After Dark? ESPN carried the World Series of Poker and the industry was booming. Until it wasn’t. 

In the early 2000s, poker took off with a massive growth in cardrooms and tables offering a variety of minimum stakes tables, high-stakes games and everything in between. The boom was enhanced by the online poker industry. 

The idea that online poker cannibalizes live poker is a huge myth. The big reason why cardrooms were packed with players was because of the online industry. Players could learn to play, hone their skills playing online, and then carry that into a live game. 

Why aren’t we seeing the same excitement in the industry today?

UIGEA & Black Friday

In 2006, the U.S. Department of Justice began enforcement of the UIGEA, or Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. In 2011, the results U.S. vs. Scheinberg, allowed the DOJ to seize the internet addresses of the three largest online poker sites – PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Cereus. The sites were shut down on April 15, 2011, a day in the industry that has become known as Black Friday.

Because of the UIGEA, international regulation, and Black Friday, online poker has completely changed. In the years since, online poker has once again become legal in the U.S., but like sports betting, legalizing online poker is up to the individual states. Currently, only eight states have legalized online poker (Delaware, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Connecticut, and Rhode Island).

Online Poker Created the Boom in 2000s

Cardrooms were packed in the 2000s because of online poker, despite what the skeptics would have you believe. Accessibility was a major concern in the 1990s because there weren’t many poker rooms. When there was nowhere to play, learning poker was challenging. 

Learning the game was resolved by online poker sites. Younger players were able to practice their skills, and new players were able to get their feet wet for low stakes. As a result, a lot of online gamers were searching for physical locations to play poker. The number of poker rooms in the United States increased significantly in the 2000s, and during the boom, poker tables took the place of slot machines.

Then there were the home games that online poker had given rise to. Whether it was college students playing for $5, $10, or $20 per person or parents willing to spend $100 every few weeks at a nearby bar, online poker had everyone of all ages interested. Every bar, social club, and basement had a poker game in the mid-2000s.

For the majority, playing poker online was similar to hitting a bucket of balls at the driving range. It helped people learn the game and was enjoyable. The true effect of online poker was to pique the interest of casual players into playing the real thing. 

Until online poker expands beyond eight states in the U.S., we will not see another boom in the industry. Plus, there has been a real change in player demographics. There are all sorts of gaming options for today’s internet gamer. 

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WSOP Sets Record

While the online poker industry has virtually dried up, the live poker industry is still going strong. In 2006 at the height of the poker boom and just prior to UIGEA, the World Series of Poker drew 8,773 players. That was a new record.

The tournament had seen growth in 34 of the 35 tournaments prior to 2007. After the passage of UIGEA, there was a sharp decline in attendance at the WSOP. The participation rates would drop in six of the next nine years. In 2017, the number of players finally went over 7,000.

Since then, participation has increased and in 2023, the WSOP set a new attendance record with 10,043 entrants. It was the first time in WSOP history that the player pool surpassed 10,000.

The WSOP is no longer broadcast by ESPN, which held the rights until 2021. CBS Sports Network now broadcasts the WSOP. The 2025 WSOP has free live streams available through PokerStars and PokerGo via the PokerStars YouTube channel.

While the online poker industry has declined, it is not dead. Live tournaments are as popular as ever. In the height of the poker boom in the 2000s, poker TV was everywhere, or so it seemed. That industry has faded as well, and the industry is still working on changing with the times. If more states legalize online poker, we could see another boom in the industry. 

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