888 Nevada Online Poker Launch Summer Prediction

Brian Mattingley, CEO of UK gambling group 888 Holdings said that if all goes well, 888 Holdings anticipates launching its online poker software in Nevada by this summer. He also said that the full financial effects of this international move would be felt in 2015.

Mattingley said, "In Nevada we are awaiting final sign off by the gaming control board on our software. 888's online poker products are expected to be live by the third quarter of this year." 888 Holdings, awaiting approval by the Nevada Gaming Board which has been testing its software since last year, has non-exclusive business to business deals with three Nevada based companies.

The 888 Poker operators are set to provide online poker platforms for Caesars Interactive Entertainment, owner of the World Series of Poker brand. It also has deals with Treasure Island and WMS Industries slot machine manufacturers.

Nevada has permitted over twenty online gaming licenses, including MGM International and Boyd Gaming and most of them hope to have their products go live by the end of the year.

888 Holdings has also set its sights on the newly opened New Jersey gambling market, which saw noteworthy changes with the signing of an interactive gambling law by Governor Chris Christie earlier this year.

The CEO said that he was hopeful that New Jersey would clear the way for online casino and online poker games and not limit the offerings to only online poker, as Nevada has done for now. He also said that 888 would be launching a powerful marketing drive in 2014, and the effects of this would be seen the following year. "I imagine we will start to see some really influential numbers to our business from 2015, Mattingley said.

Turning to other international markets, Mattingley said that 888 had performed well in Italy and Spain, seeing a 9% rise in revenues to $103 million in the first three months of 2013, and that Italy's legalization of online slots helped boost 888's revenues.