LISTED digital gaming company DigiPlus Interactive Corp. said it is not covered by the government ban on Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) and internet gaming licensees (IGLs).
The company issued the statement late Tuesday after its shares fell to as low as P13.80 each before closing unchanged at P14.82 per share.
“DigiPlus is not a POGO or an IGL as defined under Philippine laws,” DigiPlus President Andy Tsui said.
“As such, local gaming enthusiasts need not worry. Fans of DigiPlus’ products will be glad to know that their top-of-the-line platforms will continue running without interruption, unaffected by the recent presidential announcement,” he added.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. announced the ban on all POGOs during his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, saying that they have been linked to money laundering and financial scams.
DigiPlus maintained that it is a localized digital gaming company, serving customers based in the Philippines and operating physical branches across the country.
“Local gaming operators like DigiPlus are required to have physical gaming sites within the country before they could set up their digital gaming platforms so all of its clients within the Philippine territory can access their services,” the company said.
The company’s platforms include BingoPlus, ArenaPlus, Perya Game, and BingoPlus Poker.
“DigiPlus is held to a different legal standard not only as a publicly listed company, but also because it had to secure different licenses to be able to operate the traditional bingo, electronic bingo games, electronic gaming services, sports betting, specialty games, and poker. It also must secure gaming system service provider accreditations, and more,” it said.
In 2023, DigiPlus paid P13.1 billion in taxes to the Philippine government, according to the company said. It also reported employing over 2,000 workers and allocating more than P100 million to its corporate social responsibility projects through the BingoPlus Foundation. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
