Bloomberry pushing online offerings, as it cuts loss on higher GGR in 2Q26 in Philippines 

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The Backstory

Bloomberry’s digital pivot is moving from experiment to earnings lever

Bloomberry Resorts Corp.’s latest results put its online gaming strategy at the center of its recovery plan. The Philippine casino operator narrowed its second-quarter loss as gross gaming revenue rose, but management’s emphasis was less on a single quarterly rebound than on the way digital products could broaden revenue beyond the more volatile VIP and premium mass segments.

The company’s online push has been building for more than a year. Bloomberry, operator of the Solaire resorts in Entertainment City and Quezon City, has positioned its digital business as a way to reach Filipino players nationwide, diversify customer segments and offset softness tied to macroeconomic pressure and changing regional gaming flows. That makes the integration of Solaire Online and FUNaloMAX on a proprietary platform more than a technology update. It is a strategic attempt to control content, user data, payments and product design in a domestic online market that is still expanding but becoming more tightly regulated.

From Solaire Online to a two-brand strategy

Bloomberry’s digital strategy began with a focus on extending the Solaire casino brand online, aimed largely at players already familiar with the group’s luxury resort positioning. The next phase was broader. In earlier disclosures, the company said it planned to launch a new online product alongside Solaire Online to capture growth in the Philippine market and reduce reliance on international VIP play after policy changes in the region disrupted older revenue patterns.

That plan took shape with the expansion of Bloomberry’s online gaming offering in the Philippines, where management framed digital gaming as a response to structural changes in casino demand. The shift was also defensive. Online-first rivals had accumulated large user bases, while land-based operators were under pressure to prove they could translate casino brands into mobile products without diluting the premium experience that supports their resort economics.

Bloomberry then moved to test a more mass-market concept. Its initial online rollout included a platform called MegaFUNalo, which combined casino-style games with free movie streaming. The launch of Bloomberry’s online gaming platform suggested the company was experimenting with a broader entertainment model rather than simply replicating a casino floor on a phone. The platform included several payment options and a catalogue covering poker, roulette, blackjack, slots and arcade games, while analysts noted the content mix was designed to stand apart from more standardized gaming apps.

FUNaloMAX sharpened the mass-market play

The clearest expression of Bloomberry’s segmentation strategy came with the official rollout of FUNaloMAX. The company described it as built for younger, mobile-first Filipino players and centered on live, interactive formats that borrow from local gaming traditions and arcade-style mechanics. That marked a departure from Solaire Online, which remains positioned as a digital extension of the resort’s premium ambiance.

The FUNaloMAX launch for mobile-first players also highlighted a key operational choice: Bloomberry developed the platform in-house. President and Chief Operating Officer Greg Hawkins said the company wanted to control its own technology rather than depend on third-party platforms. That decision distinguishes Bloomberry from some Philippine integrated resort peers that have partnered with outside technology and infrastructure providers to expand online.

The proprietary approach has higher upfront risk. It requires spending on product development, compliance, cybersecurity, customer acquisition and content. But if it works, Bloomberry gains more flexibility over player experience and economics. In an online market where customer loyalty can be thin and promotional costs high, owning the platform may allow the company to adjust quickly as regulations, payment rules and player preferences change.

Content supply became a competitive battleground

Online gaming platforms need more than brand recognition. They need a steady flow of games that can retain users after promotional campaigns end. Bloomberry has addressed that through supplier agreements, including a deal under which Light & Wonder games will be added to Solaire Online and FUNaloMAX.

The Light & Wonder agreement with Solaire’s online platforms gives Bloomberry access not only to the supplier’s own titles but also to aggregation partners. That is significant in the Philippines because Light & Wonder became an accredited systems aggregator and game content provider licensed by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., or PAGCOR. For Bloomberry, the arrangement can help bridge the gap between its land-based casino heritage and the online content cadence required to compete with digital-native operators.

The content strategy also reinforces the two-brand structure. Solaire Online can lean on casino franchises familiar to resort customers, while FUNaloMAX can use a wider mix of interactive and entertainment-led products to pursue a younger audience. That split gives Bloomberry a way to test different acquisition funnels without forcing all customers into a single product identity.

Regulatory friction reshaped the market

Bloomberry’s online push is unfolding in a market that has become more complex. The Philippines remains one of Asia’s most important regulated online gaming jurisdictions, but recent rule changes have slowed volumes and raised operating demands. Stricter know-your-customer checks, safer gambling rules, advertising limits, deposit caps and restrictions on credit card and cryptocurrency funding have increased compliance costs for operators.

The most visible disruption came from the central bank’s order suspending e-wallet links to online gaming platforms. But analysis from specialist gambling law firm Arden Consult argued that the downturn in online gaming volumes reflected a broader regulatory load rather than a single payment change. As detailed in analysis of the Philippines’ online gaming decline and recovery, payment rails remained available, but the removal of in-app shortcuts added friction and forced users to take extra steps to fund accounts.

That distinction matters for Bloomberry. A temporary drop in volumes caused by user friction is different from a structural collapse in demand. Arden’s analysis pointed to a recovery in operator-level activity as platforms and players adapted. It also noted that Bloomberry’s online business was becoming one of the group’s fastest-growing segments, even as land-based revenue faced softer comparisons. The implication is that operators with strong brands, compliance capacity and enough capital to absorb transition costs may be better positioned than smaller platforms as the market normalizes.

The stakes now extend beyond one quarter

Bloomberry’s latest numbers show why management is pressing ahead. Higher gross gaming revenue and tighter cost controls helped narrow losses, but the company still faces pressure from elevated oil prices, higher interest rates and currency weakness. VIP and premium mass demand remain uneven, making a scalable domestic online channel attractive if it can generate incremental revenue without undermining resort margins.

Competition remains intense. DigiPlus has built a large online user base and enjoyed a head start, while other resort operators are exploring partnerships to accelerate their own digital expansion. Bloomberry’s answer is to combine Solaire’s premium brand, FUNaloMAX’s mass-market positioning, proprietary technology and licensed third-party content. The strategy is capital intensive, but it gives the company more control over product differentiation in a market where many platforms can otherwise look similar.

The next test is execution. Bringing Solaire Online onto the same proprietary platform as FUNaloMAX could simplify operations and improve the user experience, but it also raises expectations for growth. If Bloomberry can convert land-based brand equity into recurring online engagement while navigating tighter rules, its digital business could become a meaningful earnings driver. If not, the company will have added another costly front in an already competitive Philippine gaming market.