888 Holdings will be the second company permitted to offer real-money gambling to UK customers on the Facebook platform, according to reports Wednesday.
Bingo Island, the company’s current free-play game on Facebook and mobile, will soon add a real-money component for customers in the UK. A casino and slots product will follow in the first quarter of 2013.
A Facebook version of 888 Poker is understood to be planned “for later next year,” according to a report today in Social Casino Intelligence, although only a “possibility.”
888 is the second company to ink a deal with Facebook to bring real-money gambling to UK customers, with Gamesys launching real-money “Bingo & Slots Friendzy” in August.
The marriage of social and real-money gambling is set for an explosive 2013. Social gaming leader Zynga has also committed to offering real-money gambling, including poker, to its UK customer base. It signed a deal with bwin.party in October to launch on the PartyGaming platform and a later revised partnership with Facebook explicitly stated that Zynga will “subsequently launch such [real-money games] on the Facebook web site.”
Pokerfuse revealed last month that PokerStars, the dominating market leader for real-money poker, also has social poker products in development.
888 is the fifth largest network of real-money poker players ranked by average cash game activity, and is thought to have a sizable UK presence. It has reported record poker revenues in 2012 financial reports. It follows a fresh commitment to its poker product in the last 2 years, with the launch of a new poker platform, Android and iPad apps, and new features like Home Games and webcam tables.
888 first announced its interest in social gaming with the acquisition of Mytopia Games in 2010 for $18m, and with it games Bingo Island 2 and Slots Blast. Bingo Island is one of the largest bingo games on Facebook.
A year later it was the black mark of 888’s financial report, written-down in what EGR Magazine called a “botched social gaming venture.” But 2012 saw a change in 888’s approach, and the beginning of a “new chapter” for its social arm. In its half-yearly report in August, it stated the group was committed to “remain[ing] ahead of the curve” for social gaming.
888 and Facebook have yet to publicly confirm today’s widespread reports.
