Bodog Still Accepting USA Players, Traffic Up 25%

Bodog is still accepting play from those in the United States. New USA players and existing USA players can fire up its virtual felts in earnest and take advantage of a generous deposit bonus.

In a thread on TwoPlusTwo, poster “FireFighter” displays a copy of an e-mail sent to him by Bodog. The e-mail begins, “Having trouble finding a place to play now that PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, Absolute Poker, and UltimateBet have been shut down to U.S. players? Bodog is still open for online poker play and is also giving all U.S. players a whopping 110% bonus with 10% paid up front.”

A look at Bodog’s poker portal shows that there is a current promotion with the same conditions as the ones presented in the e-mail.

Several posters in the thread discussed their issues with potentially playing on Bodog. Previous issues with cashout checks issued by Bodog’s processing company bouncing, problems dealing with customer service, and improper operation of multi-table tournaments are all cited as reasons that players would not consider Bodog.

Since the indictments by the U.S. Department of Justice were announced on Friday, online poker traffic has been affected across the board. According to PokerScout.com, PokerStars has seen approximately a 20% drop in cash game players between Friday and Saturday alone. Compared to the previous week’s numbers, the drop is approximately 33%.

For Full Tilt Poker, the drop has been a bit more dramatic. Between Friday and Saturday, the decline in cash game players has been approximately 44% and, compared to the previous week, is down almost 50%. The CEREUS Network, which comprises Absolute Poker and UB.com, is down approximately 26% between Friday and Saturday and down almost 39% week-to-week.

For the networks that still accept American action, the indictments against three major players in the online poker industry have provided an increase in traffic. Bodog has seen an increase in its cash game volume, jumping 15% between Friday and Saturday. Compared to the previous week, Bodog’s player numbers have increased by 25% following online poker’s “Black Friday.”

At the Merge Gaming Network, the home of such sites as Carbon Poker and Lock Poker, the number of cash game players has risen by about 15% from Friday to Saturday. Compared to last week, there is an increase of 23%, indicating that Merge is drawing some of the American market.

The Cake Poker Network, home to its eponymous room as well as Victory Poker, picked up slightly more than 1% between Friday and Saturday. Compared to the previous week, however, the Cake Poker Network has shown a 9% increase in its cash game player numbers. Victory Poker has also announced that it is not accepting action from the United States.