888 announces Kambi sportsbook deal
Unibet subsidiary replaces Blue Square Bet as 888's sportsbook provider as the company looks to increase its geographical reach
888 has announced a deal with Kambi Sports Solutions for a fully managed sportsbook solution, designed to allow the operator to “pursue its strategy in regulated markets across the globe”.
Unibet’s B2B subsidiary will provide a fully managed solution that will be integrated onto 888’s back office platform, and will launch with online and mobile variants under the 888sport brand.
888 described the agreement as enabling it to “offer a broader range of betting markets and products”, targeting the UK and other regulated markets like Italy and Spain, where Kambi already has a number of clients.
The operator’s COO Itai Frieberger said 888 was looking “to enhance player value through more efficient engagement” by providing a more complete offering.
“By partnering with Kambi we will be aligning our sport platform with the rest of our offering, enabling us to increase our footprint while delivering a best-of-breed product to our players,” he added.
888’s chief executive Brian Mattingley said during an analyst call discussing its first quarter results that a deal was “imminent”, admitting that revenues from the vertical were currently “sub-optimal”. The company was forced to seek a new supplier after its previous supplier, Blue Square Bet, was acquired by Betfair for £5m in April this year.
Kambi CEO Kristian Nylen said the deal “represents validation of Kambi’s strategic vision and the investments we continue to make in order to build a market leading managed sports betting service”.
“This agreement will allow 888 to compete as an industry leader,” he added. “888 is a fantastic brand and a successful and respected business. We very much look forward to building a thriving partnership with [the business].”