Barrière extends Caesars deal
Technology from French firm can now be expanded and developed by US operator and will accompany Dragonfish software in American market.
Caesars Interactive Entertainment (CIE) has extended its agreement with the poker arm of French casino group Lucien Barrière (LB Poker) with a view to developing technology for the US market.
The agreement will, for the most part, take precedence over the Dragonfish deal announced this morning, according to a source close to the matter. He added that 888’s B2B arm would only host one of Caesars’ brands on its platform although it remains unconfirmed which brand this would be.
“Caesars has been sold the source code to the technology by Barrière, although I believe the technology as a whole remains co-owned by Caesars and Barrière, and can use and develop the technology as it chooses,” he added.
A spokesman for 888 suggested the agreement would ultimately see Caesars operate one of its brands from the Dragonfish platform and others using the software developed by Caesars in partnership with Barrière.
“The Barrière deal allows them [Caesars] to have a level of control over their own software if and when they move into a regulated US market, but I imagine they do not want to lose the customer retention benefits offered by our platform,” he explained.
Described by Barrière as a “long term strategic partnership”, the extension of the deal will see Caesars further develop and utilise the technology “ which it uses for the French market as part of last year’s agreement between the two parties.
According to a statement from Barrière, “Both companies will be able to use the platform in different countries where online poker is or will be authorised, and in those countries where either company decides to operate.
Until now the agreement covered both the land-based World Series of Poker Europe event “ held in France for the first time last October “ and an accompanying dot.fr poker room with World Series of Poker branding, however the extension of the deal allows the American operator to explore new territories.
The online element of the French deal focused primarily on the BarrierePoker.fr site, formed by a joint venture between Groupe Lucien Barrière and La Française des Jeux in 2010. Caesars’ deal with Dragonfish, meanwhile, dates back to 2009 and more recently received approval from regulators in the state of Nevada, and 888 remains confident that the progress in the Silver State – among other things – will make its B2B arm an attractive partner in the US market.
Mitch Garber, CEO of Caesars Interactive Entertainment, said: “The strong potential of [Barrière’s] French technology [enables] CIE to further develop our brand leverage in the on-line sector in those countries where on-line poker is or will become legal.”