DigiPlus appeals for "fact-based" dialogue on online gaming

DigiPlus appeals for ‘fact-based’ dialogue on online gaming

By: - Business Features Editor / @philbizwatcher
/ 02:28 PM July 23, 2025

DigiPlus office reception area

DigiPlus Interactive lamented that the current atmosphere felt less like regulation and “more like retribution.” (Contributed photo)

MANILA, Philippines – DigiPlus Interactive Corp., the country’s leading online gaming operator, vowed to promptly abide by any forthcoming new standards and regulations as it appealed for “fact-based dialogue” among lawmakers and policy-makers.

The beleaguered operator of BingoPlus, ArenaPlus, and GameZone on Wednesday expressed deep concern that legitimate gaming operators like itself were “being swept into a tide of suspicion meant to catch those who have never complied with regulation in the first place.”

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“We are open to evolving and improving wherever needed,” DigiPlus chair Eusebio Tanco said in a press statement. 

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“If there are new standards to meet, or better ways to protect players, we will act swiftly and responsibly,” Tanco said. “But please, do not condemn an industry, and the 50,000 Filipino families who rely on it, without hearing the facts first.”

READ: Win, lose, lose, win, lose: The cycle keeping Filipinos hooked on e-gambling

The company pointed out that many of the measures now being debated in Congress have been adopted by DigiPlus platforms since November 2024. These include rigorous Know-Your-Customer (KYC) checks; mandatory age verification that bars minors and vulnerable players; self-exclusion tools; and responsible-gaming prompts.

“We are not asking for special treatment. We are simply asking to be judged by our actions, not by perception, nor by association with those who break the law. Regulation works best when it uplifts what is working, not when it dismantles it,” Tanco added.

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DigiPlus underscored that it has always done its best to align its operations with regulatory expectations from the Philippine Amusement & Gaming Corp, (Pagcor) and other relevant government agencies.

Being “made to answer for the crimes of illegal operators’

It noted that every peso flowing through its platforms is taxed, audited and remitted to Pagcor and the Bureau of Internal Revenue, funding health care, infrastructure and disaster relief.

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“Tell us what more we must do,” Tanco said, “And we will do it without hesitation. Just grant us the fairness owed to any lawful Filipino enterprise.”

The company lamented that the current atmosphere felt less like regulation and “more like retribution.”

“We stand licensed, audited, and transparent, yet we are made to answer for the crimes of illegal operators who respect neither law nor livelihood,” Tanco noted.

READ: 1 in 4 online gamblers in PH says outright ban won’t work – survey

This is amid snowballing calls — ranging from tighter regulations to outright ban — among lawmakers, Church officials and economic managers. Malacañang has put the issue under study.

“We are appealing to the government: Let us approach this rationally. If we study the issue with clear eyes, we will see that the social ills being blamed on online gaming stem from the illegal market. That is where underage gambling happens. That is where financial abuse thrives. Target that, and the harm disappears,” Tanco said.

Amid the risks of an outright ban, the company estimated that this may affect more than 3,000 direct DigiPlus employees and an estimated 50,000 jobs across the industry’s nationwide network. This includes those in information technology, cybersecurity, software development, as well as multimedia artists, call center agents, security personnel and housekeeping staff.

Tanco said, “In every city, in every province, our people are asking: are we no longer welcome, even when we’ve done everything right?”

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/rwd

TAGS: DigiPlus Interactive Corp., government regulation, online gambling

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