888 Appointed to Operate iGaming in Delaware
In a major coup for one of the world’s most popular and most well-known online gambling companies, 888 Holdings has been selected to become an online gaming provider for the Delaware Lottery, which will oversee the nascent iGaming industry in the state. Scientific Games and Williams Interactive, a subsidiary of WMS, will partner with 888 in the operation of Internet-based gambling websites, it was reported by the Wall Street Journal last week.
Unlike in Nevada, where residents are only permitted to play online poker to the exclusion of other types of online betting, Delaware residents will have access to online slots, bingo, and casino and lottery games in addition to Internet poker. It is expected that games will go live in Delaware by the end of the year. The websites will be marketed via the state’s three existing land-based casino properties as well as carry their branding.
In Nevada, the first real money online poker site launched last week. Despite some initial bumpiness with regard to identity verification, the company who made history by being the first to go live, Ultimate Poker, reported that their first week in business in Nevada was considered to be a success.
In a statement released to the press, 888 Holdings said, “This offering combines 888’s decade-long experience at the forefront of the online gaming industry with Scientific Games’ proven ability to provide added value, turnkey solutions to government-sponsored and commercial gaming operators, and Williams Interactive’s premium iGaming products and services.”
The press release goes on to explain that the partnership of the three companies will be providing the Delaware Lottery with “turnkey” services, meaning they will oversee the operation of the sites in addition to providing the gaming platform and the content.
Delaware was the first state to pass a comprehensive Internet gaming law when it approved the Delaware Gaming Competitiveness Act of 2012. Earlier this year, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed into law a similar bill in his state, which like the legislation passed in Delaware provides for the offering of an array of online gambling choices.
888 Holdings, which was founded back in 1997, is based in and regulated by Gibraltar. It operates a variety of gambling sites, offering a wide range of products from online poker to bingo to sports-betting. Unlike some of its competitors, 888 ceased operating in the United States after the 2006 passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), choosing to do so only three days after the bill’s passage.
