DigiPlus postpones Brazil launch until 2026
Philippine igaming operator DigiPlus Interactive has suspended its operations in Brazil until 2026, just one month after the soft launch of its gaming brand GamePlus.
Digiplus Chair Eusebio Tanco on Friday said the postponement of GamePlus was a “strategic pause” and would be followed by a full launch of its product in early 2026.
“We are taking this strategic step to pause GamePlus in Brazil so we can come back stronger with a digital entertainment offering that is not only locally relevant but also resonates deeply with Brazilian culture and entertainment habits,” Tanco said.
GamePlus, which launched in Brazil on 22 September, marked the start of DigiPlus’ international debut. During the three weeks GamePlus was available, the group had recorded player behavior in Brazil and cultural and entertainment preferences.
DigiPlus’ move into the international market comes as the Philippines tightens regulations on igaming nationwide. According to Inquirer.net, Digiplus’ share price has dropped 63%, falling to PHP24.3 (US$0)1 PHP = 0.0172 USD
2025-10-13Powered by CMG CurrenShift on 10 October.
In August, Philippines’ central bank Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas released a directive ordering all e-wallets, such as GCash, to unlink from igaming sites. DigiPlus announced a partnership with payment provider Bayad Center to become its new payment channel for its online services.
In addition to expanding into Brazil, DigiPlus also has applied for three operator licenses in South Africa.
Charlotte Capewell brings her passion for storytelling and expertise in writing, researching, and the gambling industry to every article she writes. Her specialties include the US gambling industry, regulator legislation, igaming, and more.
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The Backstory
Why the Brazil delay matters now
DigiPlus Interactive’s decision to pause its Brazil rollout until 2026 caps a rapid turn from momentum to reassessment. The company’s GamePlus brand soft-launched Sept. 22 as the Philippines-based operator’s first international push, then was shelved weeks later in what the company framed as a “strategic pause.” The move follows months of groundwork to enter Latin America’s largest market and coincides with tightening compliance demands at home in the Philippines. The recalibration signals how quickly market entry plans can collide with shifting payment rails, regulatory scrutiny and the realities of costly customer acquisition.
The Brazil pivot also serves as a stress test for DigiPlus’s wider expansion thesis. The company has been positioning itself to diversify revenue beyond Southeast Asia while investing in consumer protections and infrastructure it says will travel across borders. The near-term risk is lost time in a hypercompetitive market. The potential payoff is a relaunch better tuned to local culture, payments and marketing rules — and possibly a cleaner read on Brazil’s evolving regulatory regime by 2026.
The September launch that set expectations
Three months before the pause, DigiPlus told investors and partners it would debut in Brazil in September, describing the move as a milestone into a US$4.6 billion market and an inflection point for growth. The announcement detailed a market-specific lineup of live casino, slots and table games and highlighted a migration to Amazon Web Services to support scale. It also emphasized on-the-ground leadership, noting a Brazil country manager and local legal and cultural expertise were already in place. That framing underscored confidence in execution and localized product fit. See: DigiPlus announces Brazil launch for September.
From launch to pause, the company said it captured player behavior and cultural preferences — intelligence that now becomes the backbone for a reboot. The underlying premise remains that Brazil can be a cornerstone market, but the route there is shifting from speed to sequencing: product tailoring, payments, marketing and compliance in a package that can withstand new constraints.
Regulatory crosswinds at home shaped timing
The timing of the Brazil halt is hard to separate from developments in the Philippines. As regulators tightened oversight of igaming, the central bank ordered e-wallets to unlink from gambling sites, disrupting a core funding channel. DigiPlus responded by striking a deal with Bayad Center as an alternative payment route. Its share price dropped 63% by Oct. 10 amid the turbulence, adding pressure to prove discipline in expansion. These dynamics made a measured relaunch in Brazil more palatable than pressing ahead through uncertainty. For context on the company’s pause and the domestic backdrop, see: DigiPlus postpones Brazil launch until 2026.
Even as it navigated payments and compliance, DigiPlus moved to bolster consumer trust. It introduced a surety bond with Philippine First Insurance to guarantee player funds for users who complete verification and basic platform requirements. Framed as an industry first locally, the measure is part of a playbook to export responsible gaming credentials into new markets, a differentiator when regulators scrutinize safeguards. Details here: DigiPlus and PhilFirst launch surety bond for player funds.
South Africa becomes the parallel bet
While Brazil is on ice, South Africa is moving forward. DigiPlus is filing for three licenses with the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board — a National Manufacturer License, Bookmaker License and Bookmaker Premises License — with a review timeline of at least six months. The market’s digital betting revenue, valued at more than ZAR28.97 billion in 2023 and 2024 with projected growth up to 5% annually, offers scale and regulatory clarity compared with Latin America’s fragmented rollout. The emphasis on probity checks and platform testing suggests DigiPlus wants to bank regulatory legitimacy early. Read more: DigiPlus global expansion continues with South Africa launch.
Strategically, pairing South Africa with a delayed Brazil launch creates diversification. It also gives DigiPlus a chance to pilot compliance and consumer protection features, then port them to Brazil when it reenters. If the company can secure South African approvals on schedule, it can show progress to investors while the Brazil playbook is rebuilt.
Policy whiplash is reshaping playbooks globally
DigiPlus’s recalibration reflects a broader policy cycle affecting operators. In the United States, lawmakers are testing new tax and legalization frameworks that directly influence how and where companies invest. Illinois just added a per-bet surcharge to help fund transit, layering a US$0.25 charge for the first 20 million bets and US$0.50 thereafter on top of last year’s jump in online sportsbook tax to 40%. The change, embedded in the state’s US$55.2 billion budget, drew immediate industry pushback and warnings about channeling bettors to offshore books. Coverage: Illinois raises sports betting tax as part of the 2026 budget; budget reference: Fiscal Year 2026 Operating Budget; industry response: Sports Betting Alliance statement.
Elsewhere, legalization timelines are stretching. In Virginia, an online casino bill that would have allowed up to 15 sites and set a 15% gross gaming revenue tax was pushed to 2026 for further study. The delay reflects ongoing tension between land-based operators worried about cannibalization and lawmakers weighing tax design and responsible gambling funding. That caution echoes the frictions DigiPlus is navigating in Brazil and at home, where policy and payments are moving targets. See: Virginia online casino bill pushed to 2026.
What’s at stake for DigiPlus — and competitors
For DigiPlus, the opportunity in Brazil remains large, but so do the costs of a misstep. A 2026 relaunch gives time to refine content for local tastes, align with payment norms and rebuild marketing plans in a maturing regulatory environment. The company’s consumer protection push and licensing work in South Africa can strengthen its compliance profile, a valuable calling card when reengaging Brazilian regulators and partners. Execution risk is now concentrated in two areas: sustaining investor patience during the pause and converting learnings into user growth once the window reopens.
Competitors face the same crosscurrents. Tax regimes can shift midstream, as Illinois showed, while legalization timetables can slide, as in Virginia. Operators with flexible tech stacks, diversified market footprints and visible consumer protections may be better positioned to pivot. DigiPlus’s experience — launching, pausing and retooling across continents — is a case study in how expansion strategies are being rewritten in real time.
The next signal to watch is whether DigiPlus expands its Brazil operating team or local partnerships during the hiatus, a step many rivals take to stay visible. Any updates on country leadership — such as a formal, publicized country manager appointment — would suggest a deeper local reset ahead of 2026. Until then, the company’s path runs through regulatory wins in South Africa, stabilization in the Philippines and a patient, data-driven return to Brazil.
