UK gambling company 888 Holdings has continued its pursuit of an expanded US online gambling presence with a new poker deal with American casino giant Caesars Entertainment.
As revealed by the two companies yesterday, they inked a multi-year extension of their exclusive agreement that would put an end to the concerns that the US casino operator might make changes to its domestic poker business, ceasing the involvement of foreign organisations.
Under the new deal extension, 888 will continue to supply Caesars’ casino platform and provide content on a business-to-business basis to World Series of Poker Casino and Harrah’s Casino in New Jersey.
As The Times reported, the most crucial element of the deal is the fact that 888 Holdings is set to continue to power the online poker rooms operating under the World Series of Poker (WSOP) brand, while at the same time the company aims at expanding its services into new regulated markets. On the other hand, the WSOP is considered the oldest and most prestigious poker series on a global scale, attracting players from all over the world and offering multimillion-dollar prices.
Currently, Caesars Entertainment is deeply involved in its £2.9-billion acquisition of the British bookmaker William Hill and some people had suggested that the takeover might have a negative effect on the US casino company’s relationship with 888 Holdings.
Caesars’ Pursuit of William Hill Takeover Completion Would Not Affect 888 Holdings Relationship
The partnership between 888 Holdings and Caesars Entertainment began in 2013. Through the extension of this collaborative relationship, 888 Holdings will be able to continue the provision of a fully-developed poker platform for desktop and mobile devices. Apart from that, the UK gambling operator is set to keep the only US poker network that allows money pools to be gathered by players in the states of New Jersey, Delaware and Nevada, which has been found very attractive by many players considering the large prizes involved.
When it comes to its US presence, 888 Holdings has been more focused on the provision of online casino games, while some of its rivals such as William Hill, Entertain and Flutter Entertainment have been more focused on expansion in the newly-opened sports betting sector.
Caesars Entertainment remains on track with its takeover of British bookmakers William Hill. At the end of 2020, the US casino company revealed that it cleared the antitrust waiting period for the acquisition, which put the gambling giant a step closer to finalising the transaction. According to a statement issued by the operator at the time, it continues to make progress by getting all necessary approvals from the competent regulatory bodies and still aims at completing the deal in March 2021.
When the William Hill takeover deal is officially finalised, it is expected to result in creating a US sports betting giant that would take advantage of the British bookmaker’s expertise in sports betting operations.
- Author
Olivia Cole
