888casino
IndustryGambling
Founded1998
HeadquartersGibraltar
Area served
Worldwide
ProductsOnline casino
Parent888 Holdings
Website888casino.com

888casino, formerly Casino-on-Net, is an online casino brand owned by 888 Holdings. It was founded in 1997, and is headquartered in Gibraltar. It is one of the Internet's oldest casinos,[1] and in 2013 it became the first exclusively online casino to be licensed in the United States.[2]

History

Casino-on-Net was established by brothers Aaron and Avi Shaked along with partners Ron and Shay Ben-Yitzhaq, also two brothers, in 1997. Aaron Shaked claims to have come up with the idea of the online casino while attending a dentistry conference in Monte Carlo.[3][4] In 1994, the Free Trade & Processing Zone Act was passed in Antigua and Barbuda, opening the way for the development of legal online casinos.[5] Casino-on-Net was re-branded as 888casino in 2010 to unify the look and feel with other 888 brands.[6] By 2015 the site was licensed and operating in Gibraltar, New Jersey, Denmark, Spain and a number of other countries and territories.[7][8]

In 2015, Gaming Intelligence magazine described 888casino as "the only truly pan-European casino."[9]

In 2017, 888casino signed a deal to include slot games from Berlin-based Merkur Interactive Services GmbH, part of the Gauselmann Group.[10]

888casino has been awarded eCOGRA's Safe and Fair assurance seal.[11]

In 2021, 888casino stopped offering sports betting in New Jersey as it prepares to launch its regulated Sports Illustrated-branded sportsbook in the state.[citation needed]

On 9 September 2021, 888casino acquired William Hill International's European business from US owners Caesars Entertainment for a purchase price of £2.2 billion.[12][13]

Sponsorship

888casino has been involved in sponsorship of sporting events, teams and athletes, including as title sponsor of the 2013 World Seniors Championship in snooker, the New York Jets of the NFL, Dundalk FC, and title sponsor of the 2021 Portuguese Grand Prix.[14]

United States

As a result of an act of the United States Congress in October 2006,[15] online gaming firms were forced to their presence in the US market, resulting in a mass exit from the US market for these sites.

In March 2013, the Nevada Gaming Commission granted 888casino a license as an Interactive Gaming Service Provider, making it the first company providing exclusively online gambling to be licensed by any US jurisdiction.[2]

In January 2011, the New Jersey Legislature passed a bill sponsored by Raymond Lesniak to allow online gambling by New Jersey residents over the age of 21.[16] In August 2013, 888casino signed an agreement with Caesars Entertainment Corporation[17] through the group's All American Poker Network (AAPN) joint venture with Avenue Capital, enabling 888casino to offer own-branded products in New Jersey.[18] 888casino publishes an independently audited monthly Casino Payout Percentage and includes the Payout Percentage of each game, as well as the total average Payout Percentage of 888casino.[19] 888casino's payout rate is 95.1%.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b "888casino". Gambling.org. Archived from the original on 2017-12-15. Retrieved 2017-12-15.
  2. ^ a b Robin Wauters (March 22, 2013). ""An historic moment": 888 first online gambling company to win US license". The Next Web. Archived from the original on December 15, 2017. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  3. ^ Matthew Garrahan (3 September 2005). "Lucky draw puts brothers at top of their game". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 6 May 2020. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  4. ^ Paul Gallagher (17 February 2013). "Meet the pioneers who are making millions from online gambling". The Independent. Archived from the original on 27 August 2017. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  5. ^ "Free Trade and Processing Zone Act 1994" (PDF). Government of Antigua and Barbuda. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-03-22.
  6. ^ "888 Holdings plc 888 Q4 KPI's and IMS". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2017-03-04.
  7. ^ "Remote Gambling". gibraltar.gov.gi. Archived from the original on 2014-11-01. Retrieved 2015-07-01.
  8. ^ "888 announces launch of major brands in Regulated Markets Romania & Denmark". Regulatory News Service. September 3, 2015. Archived from the original on June 26, 2018. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
  9. ^ "Casino Operator of the Year". Gaming Intelligence. 6 February 2016. Archived from the original on 15 December 2017. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  10. ^ "Ab sofort Merkur-Spiele im 888 Casino". Game Oasis (in German). Archived from the original on 2017-12-16. Retrieved 2017-12-15.
  11. ^ "Safe and Fair Seals: Approved Casinos". eCOGRA. Archived from the original on 2017-12-08. Retrieved 2017-12-15.
  12. ^ "Gambling firm 888 buys William Hill International in £2.2bn deal". The Guardian. 9 September 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-09-09. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  13. ^ "888 agrees to buy William Hill European business". BBC. 9 September 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-09-09. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  14. ^ "888 announced as Portuguese GP title sponsor". MotoGP. Archived from the original on 2021-03-24. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  15. ^ Fiona Walsh (2006-10-09). "Last chance saloon for online gaming firms". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 2017-12-16. Retrieved 2017-12-15.
  16. ^ "N.J. Senate Bill No. 490 (2010)" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2016-04-23. Retrieved 2017-12-15.
  17. ^ "Wynn Partners With 888 Holdings For Online Gambling In Nevada". Seeking Alpha. 26 September 2013. Archived from the original on 16 July 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  18. ^ "888 joins with Avenue Capital for online gambling push in the US". The Independent. 11 March 2013. Archived from the original on 2017-12-15. Retrieved 2017-08-23.
  19. ^ "eCogra Certification". www.ecogra.org. Archived from the original on 2015-06-11. Retrieved 2015-07-01.

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