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    888 Gaming

    •  4.0
    7 Casinos Founded: 1997 corporate.888.com
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    •  4.0

    Profile

    Name
    888 Gaming
    Company
    Cassava Enterprises (Gibraltar) Limited
    AKA
    RandomLogic
    URL
    Founded
    1997
    Ownership
    Public Company
    Headquarters
    UK
    Subsidiaries
    Partners

    Overview

    The megalithic online gaming company known world-wide for its many 888 branded products, its business entity being 888 Holdings, was launched in 1997 in the British Virgin Islands as the far less catchy Virtual Holdings Limited.  As a pre-2000 online gambling company it is definitely on the founding fathers of the multi-product, multi-platform, multi-billion dollar industry we enjoy today.

    About 888 Gaming

    The megalithic online gaming company known world-wide for its many 888 branded products, its business entity being 888 Holdings, was launched in 1997 in the British Virgin Islands as the far less catchy Virtual Holdings Limited.  As a pre-2000 online gambling company it is definitely on the founding fathers of the multi-product, multi-platform, multi-billion dollar industry we enjoy today.

    With fairly humble beginnings, the company was essentially a family project being founded by the brothers Avi & Aaron Shaked, as well as their friends and business partners, Ron & Shay Bet-Yitzchak. They launched their first casino brand, Casino-on-Net, in 1997. They followed this in fairly short order - for the time - with an additional online casino and an online poker room in 2002.

    With what was a fortuitous move towards a greater non-US focus for its gambling operation 2002 saw 888 Holdings launch Virtual Marketing Services Limited. Virtual Marketing Services Limited was a UK focused agency which would drive 888’s offline promotional and advertising initiatives. In light of the 2006 changes in US legislation this would stand the long term viability of 888 Holdings in good stead.

    In a masterful stroke of serving your audience in a meaningful way that also drives value to your business 888 launched two training and information programmes in 2004. These programmes were the websites 888.tv and 888.info which focused on assisting new poker players with becoming familiar with the skill based game in a safe eco-system. This ultimately allowed these newly upskilled players to transition into real money play with some of the skills and knowledge needed to be competitive long term players.

    With the early days of 1997 far behind them and the reality of 888 Holdings having developed into a well-structured business with an impressive financial value, all while sustaining multiples products across the casino and poker gambling verticals the decision was made that 888 Holdings would pursue a listing on the London Stock Exchange!

    Their public listing was approved in September 2005 and 888 Holdings joined the ranks of legitimate business by becoming a publically owned enterprise.

    Would You Have Invested? In their ‘Intention to Float’ document - submitted for approval for the London Stock Exchange - 888 Holdings declared a 2002 to June 2005 profit after tax valuation of US $129,427,000! Fair to say it was clearly a solid investment vehicle!

    A Shining Example!

    In an industry where everything is online reputation is more important than ever for maintaining customer loyalty and protecting your brand identity 888 Holdings and its partner brands have really stood out as shining examples of doing it right.

    Besides their impeccable reputation for honouring player’s bonuses and withdrawals, they have made customer service a priority rather than a necessary evil. To this end they have support teams in over 18 languages world-wide available every hour of the day to ensure your questions and needs are given immediate attention.

    They were also a founding member of eCOGRA, an independent testing and accreditation agency which promotes player protection and fair play by gambling operators.

    Not Just a Pretty Face! eCOGRA was awarded the ISO/IEC 17025:2005 accreditation certificate by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS). This means the UK government has deemed their testing facilities to be on par with their standards and requirements of the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC).

    In addition to this founding relationship with eCOGRA 888 Holdings is also an active member of the Interactive Gaming Council (IGC).

    The IGC is primarily concerned with promoting the ethical treatment of players in terms of fair gaming practices, transparency in promotional terms and conditions and promoting clear and trustworthy advertising. They work very closely with the UK Gambling Commission in ensuring members of IGC do not violate any UKGC requirements however their members are also licenced with the Alderney Gambling Control Commission, Lotteries and Gaming Authority of Malta, The National Gaming Board of Sweden and many other recognise boards.

    If being part of several external programs was not enough 888 Holdings also ensures that its own staff, and those of their supported brands, are trained and equipped to address a wide range of potential customer pitfalls through their B2B division, Dragonfish. This division implements and runs mandatory refresher courses with customer service agents on how to identify both under age and compulsive gambling behaviours. In addition to this there is a tech ecosystem in place to monitor the same, and to scan for potential high risk transactions such as money laundering.

    The iGaming industry has also found 888 Holdings have also gone on to scoop up several industry and marketing awards for themselves over the years:

    · 2012 - Online Bingo Operator of the Year (IGA Gaming Awards)

    · 2013 - Operator of the Year (eGR Operator Awards)

    · 2013 - Best Casino Operator (eGR Operator Awards)

    · 2014 - Best Bingo Marketing Campaign (EGR Operator Awards)

    · 2014 - Digital Operator of the Year (Global Gaming Awards)

    · 2015 - Best Casino Operator (Gaming Intelligence Awards)

    · 2016 - Best Digital Operator (Global Gaming Awards, Las Vegas)

     

    Rolling With the Punches!

    2006 turned out to be a watershed year for the online gambling industry which for the most part was focused on the United States for the bulk of its revenues. In a rather shady bit of politicking, which would be right at home in an episode of House of Cards, the day before Congress adjourned saw the rather innocuous (from a gambling perspective) Safe Ports bill get a very loosely worded addition tacked on. This amendment was none other than UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act).

    That’s Not What It Says! Many believe the UIEGA makes online gambling illegal in the United States, however while the bill in no way makes any form of online casino gambling illegal it prohibited the processing of funds for online gambling. Well played Congress, well played.

    Always one to take the longer term view 888 Holdings immediately ceased operations in the USA which was not without consequence as they had launched a new casino in January of 2006 replete with its hot new slots technology and significant upgrades on many levels.

    There was one significant blow dealt to 888 by the UIEGA, other than the obvious loss of the US revenue, the failed merger with Ladbrokes. Due to changes in UK tax law and uncertainty over the legal actions the US government would pursue post the UIEGA 888 and Ladbrokes ceased their merger negotiations.

    However as mentioned earlier their move into the UK several years prior with Virtual Holdings Limited gave them a clear advantage over many competitors, who to their folly would spend several more years hoping the US would open up to online gambling, and ultimately paved the way for the next step in 888’s evolution.

    In 2007 888 Holdings bought a UK based bingo business and would later go on to release their first white label product. Diversification of market and offering had become their roadmap for ongoing success!

     

    Play By the Rules!

    After their hard-earned lesson with the UIEGA (on both daily revenues and bigger picture developments like the Ladbrokes merger) and just how fickle governments can be when you don’t play by their rules the shareholders of 888 Holdings made the decision to actively pursue licencing in as many legislated territories as would allow it.

    888 Licencing & Market Growth Timeline:

    · 2011 - 888 launched in a regulated Italy

    · 2012 - Spain awards 888 their eGaming Licence

    · 2012 – 888 launch real money gaming on Facebook

    · 2013 – the WSOP brand is launched in the US by 888

    · 2014 – 888 UK limited holds the UK licence for 888 as of November 1st

    · 2015 – 888 launches mobile and desktop pc gambling in Denmark

    Lucky Number 8! Initially 888 was used as a way to appeal to Asian players as the number 8 is associated with wealth and good fortune in both China and Japan – and aligned with globally recognised slot reel payout of 777!

    It is this willingness to comply with regulatory bodies that saw 888 Holdings make a triumphant return to the US market, albeit not as an online casino operator. 888 Holding signed a ground-breaking agreement with Caesars Interactive Entertainment in 2011 which allowed them – with approval from the Nevada Gaming Control Board as well as the Nevada Gaming Commission – to enter the vibrant US poker market as a legitimate service provider.

    In September 2013 the WSOP brand, powered by 888, was launched in Nevada followed shortly by significant launches in Delaware and New Jersey by November of the same year. 888 was now a major player in the legislated US gambling landscape with products in all licenced states!

    UKGC Faux Pas! Ironically, for a company which prides itself on player protection and playing by the rules, 888 holds record of the highest UKGC fine to date… a staggering £7.8 million for incorrectly applied player self-exclusion rules!

    Let Me Entertain You!

    In addition to their business savvy and customer centric service they offer an exclusive suite of games developed in-house and shared amongst a select group of casinos.

    As one would expect their external product focus has been on ensuring their patrons can place a wager or make a spin whenever and wherever they choose to do so. Their high definition mobile casino and desktop pc platform is home to over 25 million registered gamblers. Best of all these players are able to gamble in 17 languages, across 13 countries! If you’re a technophile and love installing the latest apps, rather than playing in-browser, 888 brands offer both free Android and iOS casino apps in the relevant app stores.

    If you’re prefer the Try-Before-You-Buy approach there is always the 888 Games service which ensures each game on offer, while being available for real money play, also offers a full experience ‘Fun Play’ option. You can play in your browser with no need to install any software onto your computer or register an account – just click the game you want to try out and get playing.

    If you find yourself in a country where you can’t access the 888 casino, bingo or poker products but would like to experience their high quality games why not look up Mytopia their social gaming studio which creates fantastic social games for Facebook and your favourite mobile device.

    Be Free, Go Green!

    When it comes to their more philanthropic side 888 Holdings is surprisingly shy about what they do. They are definitely involved in charitable and grassroots endeavours however they’re one of the more private companies opting to not broadcast what they do and where they’re involved. It is refreshing to see a company who invests into the community for the sake of the community rather than for fanfare or social media fodder.

    Two of the causes they are however vocal about and have publically available statements on are:

    1. Going green – With so many offices around the globe comes a sizable staff compliment and a rather large travel budget. In order to minimize their carbon and ecological footprint 888 Holdings have put in office recycling drives, staff shuttle services to reduce carbon emissions and even invested in their telecommunication infrastructure as a way to reduce what they felt was an unreasonably large air travel footprint (which is as damaging as vehicle carbon emissions).

    2. Human trafficking & modern day slavery – 888 Holdings has been one of the few gaming industry companies to make public statement against human trafficking and modern day slavery. They have actively reviewed their supply chains and services providers to ensure there is no foul play within their business structure. They also support external organisation who are working in this field.

    If you like what you’ve read about 888 Holdings we recommend you take a look at our GamblersPick Community reviews for by-player-for-player commentary on the pros and cons of the available brands.

    If you’re looking for an additional trust factor when making your decision on who to game with next keep an eye out for our GamblersPick GamblersPick Select badge which shows that we have undertaken our own review of the casino and have found them to be a brand worth considering!

    Casinos using 888 Gaming

    Initially, only 888 Casino used the 888 Gaming platform and games, but as time went by, other companies realized the high quality of 888 Gaming products and began making deals to include the 888 Gaming slots and other games in their platforms or use the entire 888 platform for their online casino. You can find a full list of online casinos that use some or all of 888 Gaming products right here.

    Platforms

    Desktop
    Desktop
    Mobile
    Mobile
    VR
    VR
    Social Games
    Social Games

    Games

    It is truly difficult to select standout games when it comes to 888 Gaming as they have a version of basically every game out there and their software tends to compete with the very best out there. Some of their most popular slot games include Monopoly and Cluedo, which are based on the popular board games loved by millions around the world.

    Unlike many other companies that only offer video slots, 888 Gaming has developed table games, scratch cards, keno, bingo and poker variations, making their platform completely self-sufficient, which is rare in the industry. 888 Gaming powered online casinos can benefit from this by never having to look for any type of outside help.


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