May 13, 2009 (CAP Newswire) — A promising strategic agreement has been announced between Dragonfish (the B2B unit of 888 Holdings Plc) and South African-based Phumelela Gold Enterprises (PGE), one of the world’s largest pari-mutuel horseracing and tote betting organizations.
Under the terms of the agreement, Dragonfish will provide PGE with a comprehensive sportsbook offering, to be followed by the introduction of casino, poker, bingo and quickplay games pending anticipated changes to the South African regulations.
Dragonfish will distribute through its licensees (and through 888 itself) the horseracing pools and live racing streaming from the many worldwide tracks for which PGE holds exclusive distribution rights. Dragonfish will also provide PGE with its proprietary e-payments service and back-end software, allowing swift integration into 888's shared wallet, cashier and customer support systems.
Dragonfish is citing the new partnership as an example of its ability to work within the governmental licensing regulations of companies worldwide. “Horseracing is the largest sector in worldwide sports betting, and we are delighted to work with a global leader in this area,” commented Gabi Campos, Managing Director of Dragonfish. “Phumelela has a huge user-base in South Africa, and this deal will ensure that they have the best tools available with which to provide their customers with a cutting edge online gaming offering.”
“As a recognised world leader in harnessing the latest technology to globalise horseracing, we are very happy to sign with a partner that can provide us with market-leading technology to expand our offering worldwide,” added Rian du Plessis, Group CEO of Phumelela Gaming and Leisure Limited. “Working with Dragonfish going forward will help us to diversify our online offering and build on our current success.”