Online poker traffic fell 3% last week. Among the top 10 sites and networks, decliners led advancers 7-3. Overall, the market is down 5% from this time last year, despite the relaunch of Full Tilt Poker and the launch of the Spanish market.
The only ranking changes among the top 10 came from the PokerStars regulated sites losing ground. PokerStars.fr, .it and .es each plunged 25% or more due to a problem with the traffic data supplied by PokerStars. The problem has now been resolved and player counts are back to normal.
iPoker Network bucked the downtrend with a 3% rise after Betfair joined the network. While substantial, the increase is not enough to affect iPoker's fourth place ranking, between PartyPoker in third and 888poker in fifth.
Full Tilt Poker, on the other hand, may have a hard time holding onto its ranking. The site has been declining steadily since early January, while PartyPoker is moving upward after an undercount of Omaha players was corrected. The two sites are now virtually tied for second place. Promotions may determine who ends up on top in the short term. Full Tilt's popular Rush Week promotion got underway today, and PartyPoker is bringing back World Domination in February.
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