The online poker industry has undergone significant changes since its inception in the early 1990s. Today, players can open a laptop and play as well as grab their mobile phones and tablets to get in on the action.
The online game is available worldwide, and 888poker has been a major player since 2002.
When the virtual tables opened, players no longer had to invite friends over for a home game or head to a casino for some action. Those looking to battle in cash games and poker tournaments could head online.
With experience in the game for more than two decades, 888poker reaches thousands of players worldwide.
Here's a brief history of 888poker and a glimpse into the company's future direction.
Early Days
Online poker was a primitive product in the 1990s. Dial-up modems, which featured slow speeds, crashes, and technical issues, were a regular part of the experience in those early days.
Paradise Poker was one of those first online poker operators, launching in 1999. 888 Holdings was founded just two years earlier, in 1997, by entrepreneurs and brothers Avi and Aaron Shaked, and Shay and Ron Ben-Yitzhak.
The company acquired Paradise Poker in 2002 and rebranded the site as 888poker. They timed the acquisition well. The industry saw massive growth in the 2000s after Chris Moneymaker won the 2003 World Series of Poker $10,000 Main Event for $2.5 million.
He’d qualified via an $86 online satellite tournament, and players around the world quickly got in on the online poker craze.
In 2002, the company relocated its headquarters from Antigua to Gibraltar. By 2005, 888 Holdings was listed on the London Stock Exchange, and the company's poker offerings continued to expand globally.
Expansion & Industry Changes
By the 2010s, 888poker had become one of the largest online poker operators globally. That now includes players and platforms in many countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. The brand has become particularly strong in the United Kingdom, Italy, and Spain.
One of online poker's largest markets, the United States, experienced a significant shift in 2006. The country enacted the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, which made it illegal for the following:
"Knowingly accepting payments in connection with the participation of another person in a bet or wager that involves the use of the Internet and that is unlawful under any federal or state law.”
In other words, the U.S. made online gaming illegal, and 888poker exited the market. However, the brand returned after a decade, following the gradual resumption of regulated online gaming on a state-by-state basis in 2013.
The company even partnered to provide software for the WSOP’s U.S. online poker operations through 2026.
888poker Ambassadors Over the Years
Like many online poker operators, management realised early that partnering with big names and successful players attracted attention and brought players to the site.
Some of the brand’s earliest signings included cricket legend Shane Warne and UFC champion Georges St. Pierre. Both men played poker and offered the chance to appeal to audiences outside the traditional world of poker.
Warne had been a player for years in his native Australia as well as in tournaments around the world. He grew up playing poker with his family on Friday nights, and the love of the game carried over to his life in cricket. Sadly, he passed away in March 2022, aged 52.
“In cricket we have long bus trips,” he told WPT.com in 2021. “Because we’re a global sport, we play all over the world, and there’s so much travel. We’re lucky enough to have nice buses with tables, and as soon as we hop on the bus, bang – the cards and chips would come out.
“Occasionally it would be a six- or seven-hour bus trip, and we’d keep playing poker. During rain delays, the cards would come out in the dressing room as well, and we’d keep playing.”
Reaching that global audience was a big part of signing ambassadors. Others who have represented the brand include Canadian poker host and player Kara Scott, four-time WSOP bracelet winner and GTO poker whizz Dominik Nitsche, and professional boxer Chris Eubanks Jr.
The current 2025 roster of ambassadors includes poker pros Vivian Saliba (Brazil), Ian Simpson (UK), and Lucia Navarro (Spain).
Twitch StreamTeam and 888pokerTV
In 2021, the company also launched the 888 StreamTeam, highlighting a growing segment of the poker landscape – Twitch streaming.
The original team included a diverse group – from an 888 Twitch contest winner to newbies to players offering poker tips for new players. Adam “Eklo” Tocholke brought a background in music to the table and carried that over to poker streaming.
“I've always written music on my acoustic guitar and include it in many of my songs,” he said after joining the team. “I think the blend of that classic summer sound mixed with my style of songwriting and guitar playing is what really shapes the Eklo sound.”
The 888pokerTV channel is dynamic with a diverse line-up of shows from team player BLAST OFF head-to-head matches to coverage of the 888poker LIVE events.
888poker LIVE Events
Live poker has become a significant part of 888poker over the years. Recent series have taken place in prominent cities: Barcelona and Madrid, Spain; Glasgow, Scotland; and London, England.
The latest 888poker LIVE event was held at the Vic in London and featured 11 days of intense poker action. The £1,250 buy-in Main Event attracted 367 entries with a top prize of £86,600, which went to China’s Gang Wang.
“Because I won this trophy, my wife will allow me to go play poker all the time,” he told PokerNews through a translator. “God kissed my hand. Very lucky.”
The 888poker live schedule continues to expand, with even more planned for the coming years.
The Future – On the Horizon
As with most online poker operators, 888poker continues to adapt and grow. In the early 2000s, the operator significantly enhanced the software experience on the platform with the introduction of the new “Poker 8” poker client.
The site offered a new modern platform with key improvements, including the following:
- Cleaner interface
- Better poker hand filtering features
- Smoother gameplay
- New fun features like throwables and emojis
The company is constantly fine-tuning the tournament schedule and adding more series options. 888poker has earned accolades for its mobile platform, which offers the ability to play easily from anywhere.
888 Holdings saw some significant changes in 2022, finalising a deal to purchase William Hill's non-U.S. assets for £1.95 billion. The deal put one of the oldest sports betting and gaming enterprises under the 888 banner.
The synergy between two online gaming brands created a network of over 1,400 retail sports betting outlets in the UK. However, William Hill still offers online poker, which has not merged with the 888poker platform.
In 2024, the company’s holding name was changed to Evoke PLC to “better reflect the strength of the group's multi-brand operating model and its vision and mission to make life more interesting by delighting players with world-class betting and gaming experiences.”
However, many of the company’s brands continue to use the 888 moniker, including the poker product. Online poker remains a significant part of the company’s operations and poker probability shows no signs of changing in the foreseeable future!
