Winning run for 888 as gamblers play at home
GAMBLERS’ love of internet poker has helped gaming firm 888 Holdings to post record revenue.
The company said full year revenue increased 26 per cent with the number of customers gambling on its websites growing.
At 31 December, 888 had 10.6m casino, poker and sport real money registered customer accounts, up 22 per cent from a year ago.
The figures support evidence that cash-strapped Britons are staying at home as the country teeters on the brink of a double-dip recession. The trend has also been spotted by firms making video games and supermarkets which run “dine in” offers on food and drink.
Yesterday 888, which operates casino, poker, sport and bingo brands, posted revenue of $331m, (£208m) up from $262m a year ago.
The firm has continued its winning run at the start of 2012. Average daily revenue during the first 35 days of the first quarter was 25 per cent higher than the average during January 2011 and two per cent up on the average in the fourth quarter of last year.
Analysts at Investec hailed the “robust” figures but warned of the impact of changing tax rates in continental Europe.