Yaniv Sherman on 888's Poker Progress in the United States: Exclusive Interview Yaniv Sherman on 888's Poker Progress in the United States: Exclusive Interview
Key Takeaways
  • With the competition making aggressive moves into the US online poker market, PRO catches up with 888 Holdings’ Senior Vice President and Head of US to get his take on their progress in Michigan and Pennsylvania, expectations for shared liquidity, hopes for new US states and more.
  • “[W]e hope that Pennsylvania and Michigan would join the existing poker compact. If that’s the case, perhaps, we’re attempting to launch them pretty much concurrently. If not, we’ll just have to stagger them.”
  • “I would say that in 2022 at the latest, we’ll be looking to open additional poker brands in the marketplace.”
  • “What we are trying to do—not very successfully so far—is to educate policymakers of the differences between poker and casino.”
  • “It’s a matter of when, rather than if. I think of West Virginia, they’re out there, we start rolling out 888poker, we’ll launch there at some point in time”

When pokerfuse spoke with Yaniv Sherman, 888 Holdings’ Senior Vice President and Head of US, in February of this year, it felt like the US online poker market was poised for transformation.

Pennsylvania is coming—it is pretty much set already. The question is, will we be able to pool Michigan? PokerStars had just launched in Michigan; the Wire Act reinterpretation had just been resoundingly rejected by US courts; a pandemic-fueled boom in online poker around the globe—including 888’s own transformational year—was all fueling excitement and building appetite for investing into US online poker.

Three months later and while the landscape still lacks clarity, there have been key developments. Michigan online poker proved to be a huge success for PokerStars. Competitor BetMGM has launched in both Michigan and Pennsylvania in hopes to carve out its own space in the market.

Meanwhile, many observers are looking towards mid-June—now just a month away—when the window to take the Wire Act decision to the Supreme Court will close. Many hope this will be the green light necessary for state regulators to allow for shared liquidity.

Meanwhile, 888poker and its US brand partner WSOP have been quiet. In February, 888 told pokerfuse that it was aiming to launch Pennsylvania by the summer, and that Michigan might not be far behind. It also hoped to go live with Poker 8 software. Earlier this month, during a Q1 earnings call, executives repeated this timeline—now just weeks away.

With the competition also making aggressive moves into the US online poker market, PRO catches up with Yaniv Sherman to get his take on their progress in Michigan and Pennsylvania, expectations for shared liquidity, hopes for new US states, its own branding plans for online poker—and a whole lot more.