888 Holdings has been granted an interactive gaming manufacturer license in Pennsylvania, a move that means WSOP.com could soon be live in the Keystone State.
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888 Holdings has been awarded an interactive gaming manufacturer license in Pennsylvania, paving the way for a new poker site in the state. (Image: Wikipedia/ S. MacMillen)
Specifics of what 888 executives plan to do in Pennsylvania haven’t been announced. However, the company’s partner, Caesars Entertainment, already has an active online sportsbook and casino in the state.
The only piece of the puzzles that’s missing is poker. This is where 888 Holdings and its poker software should fit in.
888 Holdings License Unlocks Options in Pennsylvania
As well as running its own B2C poker site, 888 has a B2B division that provides software and networks to other brands. WSOP is one such brand.
888’s move into Pennsylvania not only adds another online poker provider to the mix but opens up the possibility of cross-state relationships. At present, WSOP.com has liquidity sharing pacts in New Jersey, Delaware, and Nevada.
The technology is there to link poker players in Pennsylvania to those in other US states with online gaming regulations. The legal and logistical technicalities required for any such system would have to be implemented before interstate poker could become a reality.
However, before anything like that happens, 888 Holdings will need to define its strategy in Pennsylvania. In lieu of that, the good news is that it now has the mechanism through which to implement its plans.
With an online gaming license, 888 can legally offer software and services through its own products or its partners in the Keystone State. That’s not only good news for locals but the company as a whole.
US Arm to Build on Company’s Recent Success
888 Holdings recently published its H1 revenue report. Group revenue was up 37% year-on-year to $379.1 million thanks, in part, to a poker boom. With COVID-19 making life outside difficult, more people have gone online in recent months.
888 Holdings has pointed to this as a reason for online poker revenue increasing by 56% year-on-year to $36.1 million. That’s the biggest H1 increase on record and the report highlights, among other things, a “strong performance” by WSOP.com.
This upswing bodes well for poker players in Pennsylvania. Although COVID-19 is fading and online activity dropping, the recent change in dynamics could resonate for months to come. The entrance into Pennsylvania will only continue this momentum.
What this means in practice is yet to be seen. However, the key point Keystone poker players can take comfort in is the fact 888 Holdings is now a license holder in Pennsylvania.
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