Sports Illustrated join forces with industry heavyweight 888

888 Holdings Plc join forces with the world renowned Sports Illustrated brand to launch new sports book

UK online gambling firm 888 Holdings Plc has partnered with the Sports Illustrated brand to target its U.S customers this year.

This new partnership will act as a way for 888 Holdings to continue to expand in an already thriving market in the US through its new sportsbetting platform.

What does the partnership entail?

This deal will give 888 Holding the exclusive rights to Sports Illustrated, a world wide brand known for its sports heavy content. On the other hand, Sports Illustrated (SI) will also benefit from this deal as SI’s parent Authentic Brands Group will receive a licensing fee & a minority passive interest in 888.

The aim of this partnership is so that 888 Holdings can unlock the millions of sports fans that follow Sports Illustrated, an audience that also have a strong passion for sports betting, according to research conducted internally.

During an interview, 888 Chief Executive Itai Pazner said:

‘We think this is kind of the missing piece in our American puzzle. It will give us the local brand we were missing, access to a huge audience, and opportunity to communicate with this audience on an ongoing basis.’

Established betting companies are all looking at ways in how to expand into the US market ever since states started to lift bans on sports betting. However, this is not the first venture into the US market for 888 as they also operate a number of online betting brands that focus in Bingo & Casino while they also extended their poker partnership with Caesars earlier this year.

Scheduled launch

The new sports betting venture, which will be branded as SI Sportsbook, is expected to launch in Colorado during the second half of this year. The sportsbook will then expand to another 10 markets by 2022-23.

Many analysts have praised this move by 888 as this partnership could potentially take their B2C strategy to the next level, as they will be ‘giving access to a sports brand with a long history, nationwide awareness,’ according to Stifel analysts.

Source: YahooFInance

SiGMA Americas Virtual:

The SiGMA Americas Virtual show will run from the 13th to the 14th of September, 2021. Features include a fully interactive expo floor, networking chat rooms, and a high-profile lineup of panelists. Beautifully designed booths come equipped with state-o-the-art product displays and chatbox features, while attendees can visit the virtual stage, where a series of panels and keynotes will discuss key topics during the live 2-day conference.

Explore the agenda or check out who’s on the floor plan.