DigiPlus’ success attracts big players to gaming scene

MANILA, Philippines — Online casinos and electronic gaming platforms have skyrocketed in popularity since the COVID-19 pandemic forced people to stay inside. That emptied the brick-and-mortar casinos that were deemed “nonessential.”

Perhaps one of the most popular online games now is bingo, known as a form of family bonding during a Filipino holiday.

But because of the physical restrictions of the pandemic, companies have increasingly seen the importance of having online options, much like the “hybrid” work setups seen in workplaces.

READ: Digiplus all set for September debut in Brazil

DigiPlus Interactive Corp. was the first to take advantage of the emerging popularity of online games. In 2022, the Eusebio Tanco-led group launched BingoPlus.

Since then, the company has ballooned in terms of the number of monthly active users. This jumped from just 800,000 in 2022 to 7.5 million in the first quarter of 2025.

The breakthrough has since been a source of profitability for DigiPlus. Its bottom line in the first three months of this year more than doubled to P4.2 billion.

Filipinos’ attraction to DigiPlus games, which include “perya” (Filipino carnival) favorites like Pinoy Drop Ball and Color Game Plus, have also caught the eye of traditional casino developers. These include Bloomberry Resorts Corp.

Bloomberry enters

Bloomberry, the operator of Solaire Resorts and Casino, was the first to declare outright that it would launch an online platform to directly compete with DigiPlus. The latter already had a three-year head start.

By early June and after much excitement, Bloomberry finally launched MegaFUNalo. This also quickly garnered the attention of online gaming enthusiasts.

MegaFUNalo currently offers various games and movies for free. Although people are still required to deposit a certain amount before they can gamble, new users are given 500 free credits to try games.

While the new platform has captured the interest of investors, analysts have noted that increasing its market share won’t be quick.

This will all depend on how much Bloomberry itself is willing to spend to widen MegaFUNalo’s reach, experts pointed out.

Bloomberry, for its part, has been aggressively marketing MegaFUNalo. Ads are seen on billboards, public transport, television and social media.

Alliance Global, too

Andrew Tan-led Alliance Global Group Inc., through Newport World Resorts Inc., is also entering the online gaming arena.

Analysts confirmed that the conglomerate, whose businesses include real estate and liquor distribution, was “enhancing” its online system to attract more users.

Hann Holdings Inc., the company of South Korean businessman Han Dae-sik that is eyeing its stock market debut in September, likewise confirmed in its preliminary prospectus that it would expand beyond its physical casino in Clark by investing in an online gaming platform.

According to the developer of Hann Casino, it wants to expand its portfolio of electronic casino offerings to about 500 games by the end of this year from 103 currently.

Experts have warned that the online gaming industry may soon become too crowded for comfort. Still, they also note that the government’s support to the sector has been instrumental in its success.

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. recently announced that it would reduce fees for e-bingo from 30 percent to 25 percent.

Thus, the industry does not seem to be slowing down, especially with encouraging numbers.

DigiPlus’ share price has ballooned by 106.63 percent to P56.10 each year-to-date. Bloomberry’s, on the other hand, has surged by 18.78 percent since the beginning of this year to P5.44 per share.

(2025/07/07-02:03)