888 Holdings plc
14 September 2006

888 Holdings Public Limited Company

('888' or the 'Company')


Interim Results for the six months ended 30 June 2006





888, one of the world's most popular online gaming entertainment companies,
announces its interim results for the six months ended 30 June 2006.


Financial Highlights


Profit before tax* up 88% to $48.0m (H1 2005: $25.6m)
Net Gaming Revenues ('NGR') up 32% to $163.5m (H1 2005: $123.7m)
Profit before tax* margin up to 29% (H1 2005: 21%)
Operating expenses % of NGR down to 25.6% (H1 2005: 28.0%)
Cost per acquisition** of US$165 (H1 2005: US$200)
Net cash generated from operating activities up 109% to $56.1m (H1 2005:
$26.8m)
Basic EPS* up 89% to 13.8c (H1 2005: 7.3c)
Interim dividend of 4.5c per share
Special dividend of 4.0c per share


* 2006 - excluding share benefit charges


** Excluding customers recruited on a revenue share basis.


Operational Highlights


Geographical expansion outside US - 48% of NGR from non-US territories
and 67% of new real money sign ups from non-US territories


Rapid growth in NGR in the UK up 61% and Continental Europe up 16%


Increased yields per member from Casino and Poker divisions


Continued technological innovation


Continued investment in the 888 brand through sports sponsorships
including two new football sponsorships with Sevilla FC and Toulouse FC in
addition to the World Snooker Championship and a third year with
Middlesbrough FC


Commenting, John Anderson, CEO of 888 said:


'These are excellent results and represent a record performance of profitable
growth. We have delivered on all our flotation goals.


Trading during the first 10 weeks of Q3 is in line with management expectations
and we are on track to achieve a satisfactory outcome for the full year.

As of 31 December 2006, I shall step down as CEO and take the role of
non-executive Director. The current COO, Gigi Levy will succeed me as CEO.
Gigi is an excellent, experienced individual who is more than capable of taking
on this challenge.

I am proud to have led 888, since 2000, through its formative years into the
success it is today. Over the past six years, 888 has been a pioneer in the
online gaming industry.'



An audio replay of the presentation to analysts will be available from the
investor relations section of 888's website (
http://www.888holdingsplc.com

Greeting all holders

Were any of you panicked into selling this morning?

I don't hold any ............. but am tempted by the expectation of decent results and Ladbrokes saga out of the way.

What is your take in the charts, for this one?

All views welcome

Cheers
Amar

For those of you who don't get Shares Mag:
Numis believe that 888's finals & trading update will be upbeat & should be enough to send them upwards.
Numis currently has a target price of 148p but says it is likely to increase this to 177p depending on the results.

when will these results be out?

Monday

Thankyou very much Neil. Good luck all.

Greetings all.

Bought in today ................. purely looking for a positive result on Monday.

Some chunky trades at around close of play.

More thoughts welcome.

Have a nice weekend
Amar

888 traffic statistics are far higher than any other gaming site by far...decided to buy on this factor

News 30th April 2007
"Online gaming firm 888 Holdings reported record 2006 earnings despite losing its US operations.

The US, had accounted for 55% of the business, before being ruled illegal from the start of the fourth quarter.

Pretax profit before share benefit charges and reorganisation costs rose by 34% to $90.5m from $67.4m the previous year.

That was substantially ahead of market forecasts which ranged between $58.3m-$76.4m.

The pretax profit margin was increased to 31%, from 25% in 2005.

Net gaming revenues grew by 7% to $289.9m, against $271m the year before. That included a 28% rise in net gaming revenues from continuing operations to $157m from $123m the previous year.

In the first quarter of the current year, net gaming revenues have growth by 16% from the fourth quarter of 2006, driven by the rollout of new products such as localised Video Slots, Blackjack in Poker and Crazy Blackjack.

'Given this start to 2007, the release of new products, our Bingo acquisition and our clear business strategy, we are confident of delivering future growth in 2007,' said CEO, Gigi Levy.


888 is recommending a final dividend of 8.88 cents per share 'given the strong financial performance'. "

LONDON (Thomson Financial) - "888 Holdings PLC has followed the lead of rival PartyGaming PLC by initiating 'preliminary discussions' with the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.

888 said it started the talks following uncertainty over the likelihood of action by US law enforcement agencies regarding activity in the U.S. prior to the enactment of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act on Oct 13 last year.

The online gaming firm stopped customers in the US from playing or making deposits on any of its real money sites after the UIGEA was introduced.

888 said it is too early to assess the possible outcome of the discussions but added a further announcement will be made 'if and when appropriate'.

The UIGEA effectively banned online gambling in the US where 888 had derived over half its revenues.

Yesterday, PartyGaming which, like 888, is advised by the law firm Freshfields, issued a similar announcement confirming it had initiated talks with the same Attorney's Office and responded voluntarily to a request for information.

James Hollins, an analyst at broker Daniel Stewart, believes this is 'the most sensible route for operators that used to offer their services into the US, essentially working with the authorities to hopefully draw a line under any potential ongoing litigation'.

Numis analyst Richard Carter also believes the talks are a positive development for the industry.

'Although it is too early to assess the outcome of these discussions, our intelligence tells us that there now appears a willingness on behalf of the US Attorney's Office to settle and draw a line under the uncertainty caused by recent DoJ actions,' he said.

Carter identified 888 as his 'key pick' in the sector given its 'strong pipeline of new game and product development, improving trading momentum and ability to expand acquisitively given the group's cash balances'.

Numis has a 'buy' recommendation and 172 pence price target on the stock."

LONDON (Thomson Financial) - "888 Holdings PLC, the online gaming company, is expected to report strong current trading alongside its first half results Monday, boosted by the recent wet weather in the UK and its enhanced casino and poker offering.

Numis Securities forecasts a pretax profit of 16.4 mln usd. Comparatives are meaningless as last year featured a contribution from the US, which accounted for 55 pct of revenues until legislation outlawing the industry was passed last October.

Numis expects earnings per share of 4.4 cents and an interim dividend of 1.9 cents per share.

'Although Q3 is usually the softest trading quarter for the majority of the online gaming sector we expect management to report strong current trading given its revitalised casino offering and the unseasonable UK wet weather in July and August,' said Numis analyst Richard Carter.

Earlier this year, Ladbrokes PLC was forced to scrap plans to acquire 888 amid concerns it would not have been able to successfully ring-fence any liabilities or legal ramifications faced by 888's previously US-facing operations.

Sector followers believe the deal could be revived if and when there is clarity on perceived legacy issues.

Numis has a 'buy' recommendation and 172 pence price target on the stock.

'Despite a recent rally in the shares we still think there is much further to go and anticipate H1 results to act as a strong share price catalyst,' said Carter.

Carter highlighted 888's strong pipeline of new game and product development, improving trading momentum, and ability to expand acquisitively given its healthy cash balances."

Here's hoping the gaming sector now picks up!

"LONDON (Thomson Financial) - 888 Holdings PLC said it has launched its Italian sportsbook, 888.it, adding it is a progression of its strategy to expand its product offering.

The online gaming company said 888.it, together with Cogetech, a local partner specialising in the Italian market, will offer fixed odds initially related to all national sports events and international events that are of a national interest.

The company said 888.it will expand its offering at a later stage to include national horse races and skill games.

888 said the Italian gaming market is extremely dynamic and the sports betting segment is growing strongly."

888 may look to pick up LNG to add to its Italian operations, LNG has confirmed it has had new approaches.

LONDON (Thomson Financial) - "Online gaming company 888 Holdings PLC reported a 37 pct rise in third quarter net gaming revenue to 52.5 mln usd, and said it is confident about its performance in 2007 and beyond.

888 said its fourth quarter trading has started strongly and that during the first 26 days of October, its average daily revenue in both Casino and Poker was about 11 pct higher than the daily average for the third quarter.

The company said its third-quarter net gaming revenue from Casino and Poker rose 24 pct to 47.6 mln usd.

Chief executive Gigi Levy said 888 is 'very pleased' with the performance, in what is traditionally the slowest quarter of the year.

Net gaming revenue in the third quarter was 5 pct higher than in quarter two with September being the company's best month since its enforced withdrawal from the US following the passing of the US Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act in Oct 2006.

Levi said this record month has been exceeded in October with 'growing momentum' seen following the launch of a TV advertising campaign in the UK and other targeted markets.

During the period, 888 launched its first sports betting operation in Italy. It plans further product localisation with the release of its software in 14 languages.

Punters will have access to over 40 casino games in all 14 languages."

LONDON (Thomson Financial) - \"888 Holdings PLC said it has entered into a partnership with Kamay Holdings Ltd, operating casino and poker under various brands and powered by 888.com.

This new offering will launch in the beginning of Jan 2008, the online gaming entertainment company said.\"

888 currently a 'hold' recommendation by 6 analysts on Selftrade.
Div yield predicted to be 3.78% this year, 4.59% in 2009.
I saw a price target of 155p (I think on Digitalook, but can't find the broker at mo) which has already been passed.
Looks like all the main gaming companies are producing reasonable results which seem to be unaffected by the current credit squeeze.

"Net gaming revenues from the casino arm were up 33 per cent to $118m, with poker 18 per cent ahead at $81m.
This year has also seen the launch of a new bingo brand, 888Ladies, and gaming partnerships signed with groups such as snooker hall operator Rileys.

Chief executive Gigi Levy said 2007 was a "year of transformation" for the group.

He added: "With many initiatives now underway, we see a bright future for the business."

Broker Numis Securities said 888's results were ahead of its expectations.
As a result, analyst Richard Carter said he "felt comfortable" raising his profits forecast for this year by 1 per cent, and the year after by 2.6 per cent."

Evolution Secs currently have a 'Buy' on this stock with a price target of 192p.

"888 announced today, together with its interim results, that its board of directors has approved the payment of an interim dividend of 2.5 cents per share to holders of 888's ordinary shares.

The board of directors has approved a record date of 10 October 2008 and a payment date of 31 October 2008. The shares will be quoted ex-dividend on 8 October 2008."

MoneyAM
888 Holdings reported another record year with EBITDA up 23% to $55.7m for 2008.

Pretax profit was up 6% to $48.6m (2007: $45.8m) and total operating income up 21% to $262.5m (2007: $216.9m).

888 said its emerging offerings (Bingo, Sportsbook, Live Dealer Casino, Backgammon and B2B) were up 208% to $44.5m (2007: US$14.4m).

Casino revenue up 14% to $135.1m (2007: $118.1m) and Poker revenue down 4% to $77.2m (2007: $80.8m).

EBITDA margin increased slightly to 21.2% (2007: 21%).

The company had cash and equivalents of $98m at period end.

A final dividend of 2.9 cents will be paid, giving a total dividend for the year of 5.4 cents following 2.5 cents interim dividend.

A new B2B deal was announced today with the Racing Post, the pre-eminent horse-racing industry publication plus two other new B2B deals signed, bringing the total for 2009 to four. "

Business Financial Newswire
"Internet casino and branded gaming software firm CryptoLogic is expanding its relationship with 888 Holdings plc.

The move will bring five new games to some of the world's most popular internet gaming sites.

888.com, the flagship English-language casino site, plans to feature eight CryptoLogic games by the end of 2009.

CryptoLogic president and chief executive Brian Hadfield said: "The relationship between CryptoLogic and 888.com continues to grow, driven by our mutual commitment to a superior player experience.

"It's exciting to have one of the biggest names in e-gaming choosing CryptoLogic games.

"CryptoLogic and 888 both recognise that in today's internet gaming market, playability means profitability."

Business Financial Newswire
"Mobile gambling firm Probability has entered a strategic agreement with Dragonfish, the B2B division of 888 Holdings.

Probability and Dragonfish will develop opportunities for mobile gaming and lottery services in territories including China, South and Central America. Revenues will be shared between the companies.

CEO Charles Cohen said, 'Dragonfish has already identified a number of opportunities for us to explore together and we look forward to keeping investors apprised of key developments.' "