Ladbrokes and 888 Online Casino Part Ways on Deal

The two companies had been in negotiations since May 2025 but had not been able to come to an agreement. The companies had been conducting similar negotiations in 2025, but those talks also fell through.
The major part of the agreement consisted of Ladbrokes paying GBP 240 million (US $391.7 million) for 888. This acquisition would have been a big boost for Ladbrokes presence in the online gaming market. Ladbrokes already has their own online sports book operation however 888 is far more visible due to their popular casino games such as blackjack and video slot games.

Richard Glynn, Ladbrokes CEO had described the parting of ways as "amicable". He said that the decision to cancel the deal with 888 Holdings came because he decided that it was not in the shareholders best interests. Glynn did not rule out his company making another takeover bid in the future.

Paul Leyland, online gambling industry analyst for London's Investec Securities described Ladbroke's decision of cancelling the 888 deal as the right thing. Even though Ladbrokes runs more than 2,000 betting outlets in the UK, Leyland said their less than stellar online performance showed the scale of the job in absorbing the 888 online casino operations into their existing business model.

Shares of Ladbrokes climbed by 7% when news of the cancelled deal reached the London Stock exchange. Meanwhile, 888 shares reached their lowest point this year. 888 Holdings also revealed lower earnings last year, which may have been a factor in the stock's fall.