Two of the biggest brands in the gambling sector have confirmed they are joining forces in a bid to crack the expanding American market.
Playtech, the casino gaming software specialist, have penned a deal with operator 888 that will see the two firms buddy up in the United States, with New Jersey the first target in the crosshairs.
The Garden State has long been a popular battleground in the online casino sector in the US, with 888 one of the first to enter the market after it was legalised back in 2019.
And their offering will now be boosted by the addition of Playtech’s standard and live casino games. If the partnership proves to be a hit, it’s likely that the rollout will spread to other states where casino gaming is live and legal as well.
Playtech’s chief operating officer, Shimon Akad, confirmed his pride in his company’s latest partnership.
“I am thrilled that our trusted partners, 888, have chosen to take our Live Casino and RNG games across multiple states, marking another exciting step in our expansion in the US,” he said.
“We are proud to be supporting 888casino in delivering the very best online entertainment experience to its US audience, and we look forward to continuing this successful partnership with a market-leading operator.”
The president of 888 in the United States, Howard Mittman, remarked that he was ‘pleased’ that his firm had expanded their working agreement with Playtech, and that he hoped the fruits of the partnership would be to ‘enhance the overall player experience’ at the casino.
Reasons to Be Cheerful
It’s good news for Playtech at a time when that has been in short supply for the beleaguered outfit.
They have essentially been up for sale for the past 18 months or more, with a handful of suitors showing an interest before eventually walking away without making an offer.
The only concrete offer came from Aristocrat Gaming back in 2021, but in February of this year that was rejected after failing to secure enough shareholder support – partially due to the fact that a large group of stockholders had reportedly campaigned against the deal in a bid to push through a takeover by TTB Partners, who they also had an interest in.
However, the interest of TTB failed to yield a formal offer due to ‘challenging market conditions’, and so Playtech find themselves at square one once more.
However, in addition to the hook-up with 888 there could be further positivity on the horizon. Eddie Jordan, the former Formula 1 team boss, was one of the parties rumoured to be interesting in taking over Playtech via his JKO Play enterprise, but he walked away over concerns of how the same group of shareholders were wielding so much power behind the scenes.
But it has now been reported that the Irishman is potentially renewing his interest in buying the firm, and that a formal bid may be in the offing.