Online casino founded in 1997
888casino, formerly Casino-on-Net, is an online casino
brand owned by 888 Holdings. It was founded in ☀️ 1997, and is headquartered in Gibraltar.
It is one of the Internet's oldest casinos,[1] and in 2013 it became the ☀️ first
exclusively online casino to be licensed in the United States.[2]
History [ edit
]
Casino-on-Net was established by brothers Aaron and ☀️ Avi Shaked along with partners
Ron and Shay Ben-Yitzhaq, also two brothers, in 1997. Aaron Shaked claims to have come
☀️ up with the idea of the online casino while attending a dentistry conference in Monte
Carlo.[3][4] In 1994, the Free ☀️ Trade & Processing Zone Act was passed in Antigua and
Barbuda, opening the way for the development of legal online ☀️ casinos.[5] Casino-on-Net
was re-branded as 888casino in 2010 to unify the look and feel with other 888
brands.[6] By 2024 ☀️ the site was licensed and operating in Gibraltar, New Jersey,
Denmark, Spain and a number of other countries and territories.[7][8]
In ☀️ 2024, Gaming
Intelligence magazine described 888casino as "the only truly pan-European
casino."[9]
In 2024, 888casino signed a deal to include slot ☀️ games from Berlin-based
Merkur Interactive Services GmbH, part of the Gauselmann Group.[10]
888casino has been
awarded eCOGRA's Safe and Fair assurance ☀️ seal.[11]
In 2024, 888casino stopped offering
sports betting in New Jersey as it prepares to launch its regulated Sports
Illustrated-branded sportsbook ☀️ in the state.[citation needed]
On 9 September 2024,
888casino acquired William Hill International's European business from US owners
Caesars Entertainment for ☀️ a purchase price of £2.2 billion.[12][13]
888casino has been
involved in sponsorship of sporting events, teams and athletes, including as title
☀️ sponsor of the 2013 World Seniors Championship in snooker, the New York Jets of the
NFL, and title sponsor of ☀️ the 2024 Portuguese Grand Prix.[14]
United States [ edit ]
As
a result of an act of the United States Congress in ☀️ October 2006,[15] online gaming
firms were forced to their presence in the US market, resulting in a mass exit from ☀️ the
US market for these sites.
In March 2013, the Nevada Gaming Commission granted
888casino a license as an Interactive Gaming ☀️ Service Provider, making it the first
company providing exclusively online gambling to be licensed by any US
jurisdiction.[2]
In January 2011, ☀️ the New Jersey Legislature passed a bill sponsored by
Raymond Lesniak to allow online gambling by New Jersey residents over ☀️ the age of
21.[16] In August 2013, 888casino signed an agreement with Caesars Entertainment
Corporation[17] through the group's All American ☀️ Poker Network (AAPN) joint venture
with Avenue Capital, enabling 888casino to offer own-branded products in New
Jersey.[18] 888casino publishes an ☀️ independently audited monthly Casino Payout
Percentage and includes the Payout Percentage of each game, as well as the total
average ☀️ Payout Percentage of 888casino.[19][20] 888casino's payout rate is
95.1%.[1][21]
