888 secures igaming licence in Portugal

888 has been awarded an online casino licence by Portuguese regulator Regulação e Inspeção de Jogos (SRIJ) as the operator further expands its regulated footprint.

The new licence will enable 888 to offer online slots, table games and a range of poker variants via its 888.pt site.

The operator plans to use its poker licence to allow Portuguese players to play with Spanish counterparts, through the liquidity sharing agreement linking the markets, along with France – where 888 is no longer active – and Italy, which is yet to join the cross-border network. This will mark the first time 888 has pooled liquidity between European markets. 

The Portuguese licence comes after 888 was last month also granted approval to offer its online gambling services in the newly regulated Swedish market, which launched on January 1.

It is also the 16th licence to be issued by SRIJ since the country's regulated igaming market opened for business in June 2015.

Itai Pazner, who was last week confirmed as the new chief executive of 888, commented: “This latest licence approval is another important step in 888’s growth strategy which is focused on diversification and expansion across regulated markets.

“The launch of the flagship 888Casino brand in Portugal provides good growth opportunities for 888 and we are also very excited about the forthcoming launch of the group’s European interstate poker network which will pool players across Spain and Portugal and deliver them a first-class poker experience on 888’s new Poker 8 platform,” he added.

In addition to Portugal and Sweden, 888 holds licences in the UK, Spain, Italy, Denmark, Ireland and Romania, as well as Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware in the US.