Delaware hit by online gaming revenue decline in 2015

The Delaware Lottery has announced that despite the US state having recorded a year-on-year increase in online gambling revenue for December, it suffered an overall decline for the 12 months through to December 31.

Revenue in December amounted to $180,110 (€165,900), which represents an increase of 7.4% on the $169,600 posted last year, but a slightly lower amount than the $182,664 posted in November.

Online poker revenue was up 8.9% year-on-year to $31,124, although revenue from online casino dropped to just $19,000, the second-worst result since the market was regulated in November 2013.

However, despite having posted growth in December, the US state recorded an overall drop in revenue for its performance throughout the full year.

Total online gaming revenue for 2015 came in at $1.8 million, 14% lower than the $2.1 million collected in 2014.

When regulation was first introduced, Delaware had anticipated that operators would collect annual revenue of over $5 million, with a system in place for the first $3.75 million generated from online gaming being taxed at 100%.

This means that after more than two years of operations, operators in the state’s online gambling market are yet to see a return on their investments.

Related article: Delaware online poker revenue recovers in November