He expects poker to be a big hit in New Jersey, but this doesn’t mean the casino games will be left aside. “I think poker will be a very successful operation for us. It is a national pastime, played widely in every state and it will be a very good product for us because of the way our ecosystem works. But casino is growing still at a double-digit rate in Europe and having our own games studio is a point of difference we have over our competitors (in the US). I think we’ll end up as we are in Spain, with good market share in both products,” Mattingley explained.

888 wants to make a big splash in the US and have secured major deals with Caesars Interactive both in Nevada and New Jersey, as well as with the state lottery in Delaware. The company based in Gibraltar will also have its own operational site in New Jersey by the end of November.

Nevertheless, Mattingley admits that it is a little too early to speak about a considerable income from the company’s operations in New Jersey. Online gambling will be permitted officialy in New Jersey starting from November 26. There will also be a five-day trial before the official launch, but only invited players will be able to gamble online during that period. “People think 2014 will be quite an immature year for New Jersey, in the region of $250 - $300 million revenue market size but rising to about $500 million in 2015. We don’t disagree with those kind of numbers. So we hope to get some meaningful contributions in 2015 as the market matures,” the 888 CEO added.