YOSI Tanco’s plan B: Will DigiPlus survive without online games?

Notes on the beat

MANILA, Philippines — A world without online games seems unthinkable for a company which makes a fortune from online bingo, tongits and sports betting, among others.

Online gaming, after all, has been the bread and butter of DigiPlus Interactive Corp., a listed firm led by tycoon Eusebio Tanco, who sits at No. 18 on the Forbes list of the Philippines’ 50 richest for 2025.

Tanco, however, believes that the company behind popular online games BingoPlus, ArenaPlus and GameZone can still survive – and thrive – even without an online gaming component.

“Yes, but maybe not as robust,” Tanco admitted.

“Maybe not at the same scale, I’ll be honest with you,” he added.

DigiPlus rose to prominence with the success of its array of online game offerings, attracting over 40 million registered users to date.

An online gaming ban in the country, however, if imposed, could derail the company’s growth trajectory.

But in a potential scenario where online gaming is prohibited, Tanco said that DigiPlus is ready to brave a new world.

“The whole thing is that it’s not only gaming, we’re creating a whole ecosystem of entertainment and not just gaming,” Tanco said, explaining what could potentially be a Plan B for DigiPlus.

“If you look or go to our site, we have a lot of entertainment (offerings). It’s an entertainment site and gaming is part of it. What we really want to do is to build an ecosystem of entertainment, something very new in the Philippines,” he said.

The ArenaPlus app provides users with access to live sports matches such as basketball and volleyball, while the BingoPlus app offers short dramas or reels of various local and international shows.

DigiPlus is also expanding its footprint to more countries where online gambling is allowed, with plans to launch its Brazil operations this September and enter the South African market.

Even with a backup plan seemingly in place, Tanco said DigiPlus is hoping that “everybody sees the light” at the end of the day — meaning that no online gambling ban will eventually be enforced in the Philippines.

“It’s so hard to tell given the present market situation, but we’re very positive,” he said.

Tanco said that an outright ban is not the answer, noting that proper regulation and oversight are imperative.

“Strong and fair regulation is the foundation of a safe, sustainable gaming industry. It safeguards players, preserves livelihoods and ensures the closure of illegal, unregulated platforms that operate without accountability,” Tanco said.

“What’s imperative is proper regulation and oversight. By working with regulators and lawmakers, we can protect consumers and maintain the integrity of the market,” he said.

From rival to ally

Rivals as they may seem in their businesses, Tanco and tycoon Enrique Razon Jr. will now be fighting under the same cause.

Tanco welcomes the recent entry in the online gaming industry of Razon, whom he considers to be a strong ally.

“Ricky (Razon) is a good operator. It’s nice of him to join the e-gaming industry. It’s good,” Tanco said.

Razon’s Bloomberry Resorts Corp. has launched its own online gaming platform called MegaFUNalo! to compete directly with offerings of other electronic gaming license holders such as DigiPlus.

MegaFUNalo! also provides a wide array of options that include on-demand movies, live game shows 24/7, free mini-games as well as interactive live dealers where players can win real cash.

Blomberry’s Solaire Resort, together with Newport World Resorts and Okada Manila, have earlier issued a joint statement saying that their online gaming operations are “a regulated and responsibly managed extension of our operations – designed to complement our primary offerings.”

“We were together in ports and we’ll be together in e-gaming. It’s an honor to have him in the league,” Tanco said.