888's B2B division unveiled a

RNS Number : 7785P

888 Holdings plc

31 March 2009

 

31 March 2009

888 Holdings Public Limited Company

('888' or the 'Company')

888's B2B division brand unveiled as 'Dragonfish'

888, one of the world's most popular online gaming companies, today announces the naming of the Company's B2B division as 'Dragonfish'.

The new branding is in recognition of Dragonfish's separate function within 888 and to differentiate Dragonfish's B2B offering which is distinct from, but complementary to, 888's traditional B2C products. The new brand is indicative of 888's intention to become a major player in the B2B market and highlights the division's status as an independent entity.

A pioneer and leader in the B2C industry, 888 made the strategic decision in 2007 to lead the way in becoming the largest B2C operator to move into the B2B arena. Capitalising on its market-leading back office technology and decade-long B2C experience, 888 is uniquely positioned to work with carefully selected strategic partners who are either aiming to monetise their existing database, brand loyalty and media assets or looking to enhance their existing online gaming operations.

The B2B division has expanded rapidly. In 2007 agreements were signed with Riley's, Tower Torneos and LuckyAce, and 2008 saw an acceleration in B2B development with several more deals in Western, Central and Eastern Europe, including the ground-breaking partnership with the UK Football Pools (Sportech Plc). The agreement represented the full evolution of the B2B offering, and Dragonfish currently provides Sportech with a full managed service including all technology, operations and marketing of Sportech's leading Littlewoods brand.

The partnership announced yesterday to provide the Racing Post with a comprehensive online gaming operation for casino and poker services, including market-leading gaming and back-end software, customer support and payments processing services, further highlighted 888's development as a leading B2B provider with significant market share in its possession already. 

'Total Gaming Services' is the strap line that will underpin Dragonfish's unique positioning and reflects the opportunity for clients to not only benefit from 888's decade of experience in technology,  operations and ePayments but also utilise advanced marketing services, through the provision of offline / online marketing, management of affiliates, SEO, CRM and business analytics.

Dragonfish sees three main sources of new B2B partners:

• Existing online gaming operators looking to strengthen their existing gaming suite or service offering 

• Media companies looking to monetise their brands; and

• Land-based casinos and Lottery companies seeking an experienced online gaming partner, with a heritage of successful business delivery and strong responsible gaming systems and capabilities, that can facilitate a smooth transition from leadership in land-based gaming to a successful online gaming operation

New entrants to the online gaming market require a technology platform to work with, expertise in setting up operations and, above all, knowledge of how to leverage their assets and target the gaming consumer. 888's experience through operating its own successful B2C businesses makes it well positioned to partner with these new entrants to mutual advantage.

Dragonfish is positioned within 888 as a separate business unit with several departments in it, focused entirely on B2B partners: Sales & Business Development, Programmes & Integrations, Client Executive Unit, Client Marketing & Operations, B2B Marketing and PR and B2B Finance.

Dragonfish is currently working on a strong transaction pipeline for 2009 with a number of deals at various stages, across a variety of game offerings. 2009 will mark a significant step forward in B2B's contribution to the profitability of 888. The Company believes that Dragonfish will provide a significant portion of 888's profits by the financial year 2010.

Gabi Campos, Managing Director of Dragonfish, commented:

'We believe we have first mover advantage as a major B2C operator moving into B2B with our Total Gaming Services offering and have already achieved a number of successful partnerships. The new name and divisional structure represents the scale of our ambitions as we continue to expand the B2B business and through the growth of our client base and service offerings we aim to make Dragonfish a leading player in the B2B market.'

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Contacts:

Dragonfish                                                                              [phone]

Gabi Campos, Managing Director            

Bell Pottinger Corporate & Financial

Ann-marie Wilkinson / Nick Lambert / Andrew Benbow               [phone]

About Dragonfish

• Dragonfish is the brand name for 888 Holdings Plc's B2B business and is a separate division within 888

• Dragonfish is a leading provider of Total Gaming Services - Games & Technology; Operations; Marketing and ePayments - with an unique heritage within one of the world's leading B2C brands, 888 

• Games covered by Dragonfish include Casino, Poker, Bingo, Sports and Quickplay

• Dragonfish has  unsurpassed operations and marketing knowledge in the gaming industry

• Please see www.dragonfishtech.com for further details, or contact through [e-mail] 

 

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