DigiPlus and International Entertainment to develop online gaming site for LaVie casino

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The Backstory

A domestic deal shaped by a faster-moving market

DigiPlus Interactive’s agreement with International Entertainment Corp. to develop an online gaming platform for LaVie Casino lands at a point when the Philippines is trying to balance rapid digital gambling growth with tighter oversight. The arrangement brings together DigiPlus subsidiary Total GameZone Xtreme Inc. and International Entertainment unit New Coast Leisure Inc., with the companies planning to integrate and operate approved online games tied to LaVie Casino, subject to approval from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.

The structure is notable because it links DigiPlus’ technology and online gaming distribution capabilities with an existing land-based casino asset. International Entertainment has told Hong Kong investors that New Coast Leisure holds key authorizations, including an Electronic Games Operator License, Gaming System Administrator accreditation and Game Content Provider status. DigiPlus disclosed the cooperation agreement in a Philippine Stock Exchange filing, while International Entertainment outlined its rationale in a Hong Kong Stock Exchange filing.

For both companies, the commercial logic is straightforward: regulated online gaming in the Philippines has moved from a niche extension of casino operations into a core growth channel. For regulators, the same growth has created a parallel challenge: ensuring licensed operators can expand while illegal and offshore-facing platforms are pushed out of the market.

PAGCOR’s enforcement push sets the backdrop

The deal follows a period of heightened regulatory activity by PAGCOR, which has been trying to give consumers clearer ways to distinguish licensed operators from illegal sites. The regulator recently launched the PAGCOR Guarantee site, a public verification tool that lists licensed online gaming companies and provides links to approved platforms. The initiative was presented as a consumer-protection measure, but it also underscored a revenue and enforcement concern: illegal platforms can divert play away from taxed operators and weaken confidence in the regulated market.

That context matters for the LaVie project because the companies are seeking to grow within a market where legitimacy is becoming a commercial asset. PAGCOR Chairman and Chief Executive Alejandro Tengco has framed illegal online gambling as both a consumer risk and a drain on government revenue. The launch of the verification platform, covered in PAGCOR’s effort to tackle illegal gaming, came amid broader concern over unauthorized overseas and online operators targeting Filipino players.

The Senate’s passage of the Anti-POGO Act of 2025 also sharpened the line between licensed domestic-facing operations and offshore gambling models that have drawn scrutiny. For companies such as DigiPlus and International Entertainment, regulatory alignment is no longer only a compliance requirement. It is part of the pitch to players, payment partners, investors and regulators deciding which operators should be allowed to scale.

DigiPlus has been building beyond one channel

DigiPlus enters the LaVie arrangement after several moves intended to broaden its platform reach, content library and international profile. The company has built its Philippine consumer business around brands such as BingoPlus, ArenaPlus and GameZone, then added partnerships and branded content to deepen engagement. Its new work with International Entertainment extends that strategy into a casino-linked platform that could add another regulated destination for its games and systems expertise.

The company has also been pushing beyond the Philippines. It recently outlined plans to seek licenses in South Africa, including a National Manufacturer License, Bookmaker License and Bookmaker Premises License from the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board. That process is expected to include probity checks, board reviews and platform testing. The move, described in DigiPlus’ planned South Africa launch, followed plans to enter Brazil’s regulated market under the GamePlus brand.

The international effort is important because it shows DigiPlus trying to position itself as more than a domestic online casino operator. Management has described markets such as South Africa as gateways to broader digital growth, with local compliance and culturally relevant products as part of the strategy. The LaVie agreement fits that pattern on a smaller geographic scale: deploy technology, content and operational support where licensing and local market access are already central to the business case.

Payments pressure pushed operators toward new infrastructure

DigiPlus’ domestic expansion has not been free of friction. Payment access became a major operational issue after the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas directed e-wallets to remove gambling-related applications, cutting off major channels such as GCash and Maya. For an online gaming company reliant on fast, trusted deposits and withdrawals, the loss of those channels exposed how dependent the sector had become on mainstream digital wallets.

The response was a pivot toward alternative payment networks with physical and kiosk footprints. DigiPlus partnered with Bayad Center to offer cash-in services for BingoPlus, ArenaPlus and GameZone through more than 800 branches and affiliated outlets. That arrangement, covered in DigiPlus’ Bayad Center partnership after the e-wallet ban, was pitched as a way to preserve access while emphasizing player protection and dependable service.

The company also signed with Pay&Go, operated by BTI Payments Philippines, to allow BingoPlus users to top up through more than 3,500 kiosks nationwide, with expansion planned for other DigiPlus platforms. That agreement, detailed in DigiPlus’ Pay&Go top-up partnership, underscored a larger shift in the Philippine market: operators need resilient payment rails that satisfy central bank rules, PAGCOR oversight and consumer expectations for convenience.

Those payment adjustments are relevant to the LaVie platform because any online casino project must solve more than game aggregation. It needs compliant account funding, identity controls, responsible gaming tools, customer support and regulatory reporting. DigiPlus’ recent payment partnerships suggest it has been working to rebuild the infrastructure required to keep online users active even as financial regulators tighten access to gambling-related transactions.

Content has become another battleground

Beyond licensing and payments, competition in Philippine online gaming has increasingly moved toward differentiated content. DigiPlus has tried to use local entertainment and celebrity partnerships to hold user attention in a crowded market. Its release of Manny Pacquiao-themed casino games across BingoPlus, ArenaPlus and GameZone is one example. The titles incorporate boxing imagery and Filipino design elements, turning a national sports figure into a gaming product intended to feel local rather than generic.

The Pacquiao launch, covered in DigiPlus’ celebrity-endorsed igaming titles, came as operators faced both heavier competition and closer scrutiny. It showed how content strategy can serve several purposes at once: attracting users, strengthening brand identity and giving platforms proprietary or semi-proprietary material that rivals may not easily replicate.

For LaVie Casino, the same dynamic could matter. A digital platform tied to an established casino needs more than a technical connection to games. It needs a reason for players to choose it over other licensed sites. DigiPlus’ experience with branded titles, multiple consumer platforms and game aggregation could help New Coast Leisure expand beyond the traditional casino floor into a more persistent online relationship with customers.

Leadership change adds another variable

The agreement also comes shortly after DigiPlus appointed Ping Chen as president, replacing Andy Tsui. Leadership changes can be routine, but they take on greater significance when a company is simultaneously managing overseas expansion, payment disruption, regulatory scrutiny and new platform partnerships. The LaVie agreement will test whether DigiPlus can keep executing across those priorities while maintaining regulator confidence.

For International Entertainment, the partnership offers a potential route to diversify revenue from LaVie Casino by participating in the Philippines’ regulated online growth. For DigiPlus, it adds another business-to-business-style opportunity alongside its consumer-facing brands and overseas ambitions. The broader stake is whether licensed operators can expand fast enough to meet digital demand while demonstrating that regulated platforms are safer, more transparent and more valuable to the state than illegal alternatives.

That is why the PAGCOR approval process is central. If cleared, the LaVie platform would become another example of the Philippine market’s shift toward casino-linked, licensed online gaming. If delayed or constrained, it would reinforce the message that growth in the sector now depends as much on regulatory confidence, payments compliance and player protection as on technology or demand.