Dragonfish Expands Payment Processing Beyond Online Casinos

Online casino operator 888 has allowed its Dragonfish division to expand its payment processing beyond Internet gambling, looking to handle retail transactions.

Dragonfish, the business-to-business division of 888, has announced it will provide payment processing for SecondLife, an online virtual world. The move establishes Dragonfish as a financial processor independent of the online casinos it already serves.

Dragonfish has a ten-year history as the processor of e-payments, but the arrangement with SecondLife owner Linden Lab marks the first deal with a company outside the online gambling industry. The move opens a vast potential for Dragonfish to handle a wide range of retail product payments.

“Today’s agreement ... highlights the increasingly diverse nature and strength of Dragonfish’s operations,” said Gabi Campos, managing director. "It’s an excellent complementary business for Dragonfish which will provide incremental revenue.”

SecondLife, a virtual world that handles $35 million in transactions monthly, has been blocked from direct payments under terms of the UIGEA online casino ban. FBI officials have said part of the virtual system allowed gambling in SecondLife.

Linden Lab then placed a ban similar to the UIGEA in SecondLife, preventing gambling on the grounds that complying with the variety of gaming laws would be problematic. But payments are still only available through e-processors.