Through a wholly owned US subsidiary, 888 has entered into a joint venture agreement with global investment firm Avenue Capital Group to launch and operate a B2C gaming offering in the US, once the market is regulated.
The new company is the All American Poker Network, which will launch 888's brands into the US market as soon as either federal or state-based regulation is finalised and upon licensing by gaming authorities.
888 has also announced an agreement with renowned Las Vegas operator Treasure Island for the launch of online poker in Nevada through AAPN, once the appropriate licence is in place.
Last week, 888 became the first non-US operator recommended by the Nevada Gaming Control Board to the Nevada Gaming Commission for the approval of licensing as an interactive gaming service provider. The licence will allow AAPN to launch the real-money 888poker brand in Nevada later this year, once all certifications are in place.
Brian Mattingley, CEO of 888, said: "This is the perfect deal for 888, providing the ideal platform through which to launch our B2C brands into the US market, once regulated.
“Our WSOP agreement with Caesars [signed last year] gives us an excellent B2B deal with one of the largest global gaming brands and most prominent casino operators, and we also have a strategic alliance with one of the largest gaming machine manufacturers in the world, WMS.
“We now have a significant financial partner for our leading B2C product - the final piece in the jigsaw, completing our US online strategy,” said Mattingley.
