Global online gaming entertainment and solutions provider 888 Holdings is to begin the roll-out of the Control Centre, a new customer-centric safe gamnbling feature.
The feature is a new customer-facing interface that will sit across 888’s websites to provide all players with improved understanding of their gambling behaviour and further increase the prominence of the company’s safer gambling tools.
Accessible to customers from 888’s homepages, the Control Centre will provide a “one stop shop” for customers to monitor their activity through data and take necessary actions to control their gambling.
The tool is initially launching in the UK with additional localized versions of the new feature due to be introduced to customers in the company’s other markets over the coming months.
Founded in 1997, 888 Holdings Plc provides a variety of online gaming experiences to players and B2B partners. At the core of its business there are its proprietary gaming technology and associated platforms. Its brands are the poker platform, the worldwide 888casino platform that operates in different countries including US with the New Jersey online casino platform, and the sports betting platform, and the online bingo platform.
The launch of the Control Centre, anticipated in the Half Yearly Report for the six months ended 30 June 2020, marks a further step in the company’s growth as highlighted by the results of the first half of 2020 with group revenue increased 37% to US$379.1m, B2C revenue increased 38% to US$361.3m, casino revenue increased 48% to US$260.0m, poker revenue increased 56% to US$36.1m, sport revenue decreased 1% to US$44.1m (given the block of sports events globally), bingo revenue increased 8% to US$21.1m, and B2B revenue increased 21% to US$17.8m.
The company also increased vigilance on safe gambling and prevented gambling-related harm during COVID-19 period and launched its proprietary sportsbook platform in Sweden in April 2020 with the UK planned by early 2021. In the US, 888 recorded a revenue increase by 90% year-on-year reflecting significant B2C growth in New Jersey.
Commenting on the announcement, CEO Itai Pazner said: “The Control Centre has been developed over a number of months and we have identified new ways to ensure safe gambling remains at the heart of the user experience for all 888 players from the first time they visit our websites. The Control Centre will be an integral part of 888’s product offering moving forward and reflects our commitment to invest resources and expertise to create industry-leading, user friendly and AI -driven safe gambling tools.
“Our business rests on ensuring our customers are empowered to make safe and responsible decisions about their gambling. We are committed to continually investing in our teams and technology to prevent gambling-related harm and we are confident that this innovative feature will offer customers new levels of data and clear, transparent insights that will help them to stay informed and in control.”
The company is also looking forward to delivering further product enhancements including the introduction of a new poker product across markets during the second semester of 2020 and launch of its proprietary sportsbook in the UK early next year. The Group’s plan is to keep on advancing 888sport as a leading online sportsbook operator across global regulated markets. They launched its proprietary sportsbook platform in Sweden during April 2020 and are now thrilled by the long term growth opportunities that having ownership of a sports product will give them. The company now plans to roll-out the new platform into additional markets with the UK planned by early 2021.
In June, 888 was also admitted into the FTSE 250 Index, which was another evidence of the ongoing progress being made by the group as they continue to deliver their growth strategy.
The growth is also due to 2019’s acquisitions of BetBright’s sports betting platform for £15m and of a portfolio of Jet’s online bingo brands.
The acquisition of is enabling the company to consolidate its position as one of the leading bingo operators in the UK, instead.
In a recent interview, Pazner said that “M&A was an important part of what they do.
“We tend to use acquisitions to complete strategic areas that we want to grow into. We have not done any transformational acquisition yet but we cannot be accused of not trying,” he added.
He also said that the company will grow in the US, which is is now a top priority, following consolidation in its core market, the UK, and product upgrades.