888Africa makes first play in East Africa  

888 Holdings has announced the launch of its strategic joint-venture 888Africa, which has secured local licences for the markets of Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and Zambia. 

In March, the FTSE250 gambling group announced that it would back the launch of 888Africa – a dedicated African markets venture led by former PokerStars CMO Christopher Coyne.

Launching the venture within East African markets, 888Africa outlined its “focus on customer experience, having secured 85% coverage of mobile network operator payments in its debut markets.

JV partners have underlined 888Africa’s ambitions to become the most locally harmonised and scale effective sportsbook and casino operator for African markets.

“It is great to see Christopher and his team successfully launch 888bet in Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and Zambia and begin 888AFRICA’s growth story on the continent,” said 888 Holdings CEO  Itai Pazner.

“As a region with significant potential, we are excited to watch 888AFRICA continue to develop its offer and launch new and exciting products for players over the coming years and months while introducing consumers to the fantastic 888 brand.”

2022 has seen 888 transform its business by completing the merger and integration of William Hill UK and International (non-US) assets. The launch of 888Africa is detailed as a further strategic priority of the FTSE firm’s new long-term corporate growth strategy.

Christopher Coyne, CEO of 888AFRICA, commented: “We are delighted to hit our target and launch into four regulated markets within 6 months of founding the business. This is an important milestone that provides us with fantastic opportunities for further expansion in the future.

“We have enormous ambitions and believe the strength, history and trust of the 888 brand gives us a real competitive advantage as we look to build market-leading positions across Africa.”