One of the things that some people might not know about online betting is that most of the top-tier betting sites belong to a few big companies.
Even though there are cases where a “new player” creates an exciting casino or a sportsbook, most of the well-known companies belong to popular brands. Unsurprisingly, Nostrabet.com has years of expertise on the betting topic, so you can visit the site and read the unbiased reviews if you want to learn more about each operator’s parent company. You can also learn more about the operators themselves and the options they provide.
Speaking of operators and options, there is one brand that often comes to mind because it has many years of experience and has already established itself as the leader in this business. This company is called 888, and it is available in some countries.
Even though most people know the brand for its world-class casino section, it is also notorious for having a fully-fledged casino, ads, and a separate website for poker. Consequently, people from different parts of the world use its services on a daily basis.
Speaking of using 888’s sites, the company reported a massive 14% growth in its revenue in 2021. According to the information, this betting brand is worth around $972 million, which makes it among the most expensive gambling companies in the business.
There are several reasons for 888’s massive growth, so let’s go over some of them in this review.
The company became more popular in certain countries
Despite the fact that most people associate 888 with the UK, this iGaming company is available in several other countries. The company is one of the leaders in Europe, which is why it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it is accessible in several other countries. Besides gamblers in the UK, punters in countries like Portugal, Italy, and Romania started using 888’s services more frequently.
With that being said, the company also had some bad results in countries, such as Germany.
Legislative changes in some countries
Besides ads, affiliate programs, and other tips and tricks, 888 gained a 14% revenue growth because of the different legislative changes. Some countries in Europe decided to change their gambling laws so that people could have access to more betting options.
Some of the changes were related to online casinos, so it doesn’t come as a surprise that 888’s casino has an impressive 24% increase, whereas its sports betting platform only increased by 4%.
The company launched a betting site in Colorado, and it started preparing for the acquisition of William Hill
Since 888 is a well-known name in the online betting industry in Europe, the company decided to expand its services into other countries. Those who’ve checked Nostrabet’s review for this operator know that users from many states can access the things it offers, but they will probably need a VPN.
Using these kinds of apps is not always possible, which is why 888 decided to launch a new sports betting platform in Colorado. Despite the initial success, 888 had to invest a lot of money into marketing and other things, which means we will have to wait and see whether those things will pay off.
Aside from launching a new betting website, one of the things that probably had a huge impact on 888’s popularity is the company’s decision to acquire William Hill International. The latter is one of the most popular gambling companies in the UK because it has many years of experience.
According to the official information, Caesers agreed to sell WH’s non-US business for $3B. Needless to say, this will be one of the most expensive deals in the gambling industry.
888 also reached an agreement to sell their bingo business
Even though some people like online bingo, this thing is not as popular as standard casino games and sports betting. Consequently, many top-tier betting companies do not have a separate bingo section.
With that being said, 888 was one of the few brands that offered these options to their clients. Sadly, it seems like it was not worth it because Itai Pazner, the company’s CEO, said that the brand would sell its bingo business so that it could have more funds to focus on the US market.