- PokerStars has dominated the cash game market for 15 years.
- GGPoker recently passed PokerStars for number of concurrent cash game players.
- GGPoker’s growth was accelerated by the pandemic and a partnership with the WSOP.
LAS VEGAS - PokerStars, long an institution in the world of online poker, has finally been overtaken as the leading provider of cash games in the world.
This was the first time that PokerStars had been overtaken as the website with the most concurrent cash game players since 2006.
It was overtaken by GGPoker, a website that launched in Asia before moving into the European and American markets.
GGPoker has some big names signed on as ambassadors, including Daniel Negreanu and Dan Bilzerian. In addition to their big name ambassadors, GGPoker also sponsors multiple Twitch.tv streamers who play poker online under their branding.
“GGPoker hitting the top spot for cash game traffic is the result of a lot of hard work by a lot of people, and of course a testament to the amazing community of players that call GGPoker home,” said Negreanu. “We don’t rest on our laurels, we’ve reached #1 by constantly innovating and improving our games, promotions and rewards – and you haven’t seen anything yet!”
Why GGPoker?
GGPoker’s userbase has skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic, as poker players were forced to stay home from casinos and poker rooms.
It seems many of these newly minted online gamblers ended up at GGPoker for various reasons - Negreanu cites game offerings, promotions and rewards as proximate causes for the rise GGPoker has seen over the last few years.
The fact that World Series of Poker bracelet events were held on GGPoker during the pandemic was perhaps also a proximate cause.
With the world shut down from COVID-19 and the various pandemic restrictions making in-person play difficult, the WSOP needed an online partner to continue their large scale tournaments.
GGPoker was that partner, offering both bracelet events and side events under the auspices of the WSOP.
Now, this move seems to be paying dividends, and online poker players are choosing GGPoker as their outlet of choice.
It remains to be seen how long GGPoker will be able to hold the top spot - but this is a very important milestone for them.