Google searches for key terms like “online poker” are starting to dip, but interest remains high as staying at home becomes the norm.
Recent figures released by the UK’s Office for National Statistics show that 49.2% of adults are currently working from home. Due to stay-at-home orders and other preventative measures, it’s a similar story elsewhere in the world.
This data ties in with what we already know about poker. With people forced to stay home, everything from work to entertainment has become an online affair. Carrying out our own research, we found that current trends are still benefitting online poker.
Google Reveals Online Poker Interest
The latest Google trend shows a dip in searches for the term “online poker.” However, the current level of interest is still higher than it was in 2019.
Google’s trend data provides a score for keywords based on search volume. A rating of 100 indicates peak interest. A score of 50 means the search term is 50% less popular than it was compared to the peak, a score of 40 means it’s 60% less popular, and so on.
Worldwide searches for the term “online poker” peaked between March 22 and March 29. Interest has dropped by 50% since then. Search trends in the UK have mirrored the international stats, with interest in online poker peaking in late March before dropping by 67% in May.
The trends follow the easing of lockdown restrictions around the world. As coronavirus infection rates have fallen, governments have allowed people to do more things outside of their homes.
Maintaining the recent surge of activity was always going to be difficult. However, online poker operators can take solace in the fact search requests are still higher than they were in 2019.
On June 1, 2019, the number of global searches for “online poker” was 65% lower than it was in March 2020. More interesting, however, are the search trends linked to specific operators.
Searches for “PokerStars” and “Partypoker” peaked in March. However, interest in Stars has taken the sharpest decline in the following weeks.
Google’s rating for the term “PokerStars” was 40 at the end of May. This was 60% lower than its peak in late March. In contrast, searches for “Partypoker” and “GGPoker” have only dipped by 47% and 42%, respectively.
Maintaining Momentum is Essential
GGPoker’s trend line has also taken a different trajectory to that of its peers. Interest in early May was higher than in March. This would suggest consumers gravitated to established brands before branching out.
The findings also show the power of money. The $100 million WSOP Super Circuit Online Series got underway on GGPoker on May 3, and interest spiked the following week.
The focus now will be how all poker-related searches do now as some semblance of normalcy is returning. Interest will almost certainly fall, but by how much is the question.
Even with restrictions easing, the fabric of society has changed, at least in the short term. With more people working and entertaining themselves at home, online poker should remain popular. The crucial thing for operators will be keeping interest in the game higher than it previously was. If they can do this, the industry will come out of the coronavirus pandemic in a healthier state than when it went in.
