Philippine-listed licensed online gaming operator DigiPlus Interactive Corp reported “robust” second-quarter results, with revenue and net profit up year-on-year by respectively 30.6 percent and 30.1 percent, said Singapore-based Investics Research, a provider of investment data and analytics services.
The improvement was “driven by an increase in monthly active users to 8.5 million, from 7.5 million in first-quarter 2025,” wrote Sameer Taneja, founder of Investics Research and an insight provider at SmartKarma.
DigiPlus’ net margins “remained flat year-on-year at 17 percent, as a decline in franchisee fees and taxes was offset by an increase in advertising and promotional spend as market share declined to 39 percent, versus 45 percent,” noted Mr Taneja.
Last week DigiPlus reported first-half net income of PHP8.40 billion (US$147.5 million), up 60.9 percent from a year earlier. Total revenues for the six months to June 30 rose by 46.7 percent year-on-year, to nearly PHP47.78 billion.
The firm said that was supported by “increased business activity and the rollout of new games and licences” approved by the nation’s gaming regulator, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (Pagcor).
Despite “robust” earnings, “regulatory concerns … continue to cloud” the online gaming sector in the Philippines, cautioned Mr Taneja.
On Thursday, the Philippine Senate started discussing a number of individually-sponsored bills either to ban or curb licensed domestic online gambling. Three bills seek an outright ban, while two measures propose stricter regulations.
On the same day, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the Philippines’ central bank, said providers of electronic wallets (e-wallets) and other digital payment systems had 48 hours to remove links that give access to online gambling platforms in the country.
Also last week, the Philippine Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) banned its own staff, and local government officials, from engaging in online gambling
According to Investics Research’s Mr Taneja, the regulatory uncertainty regarding the online gaming industry has “spooked the sector,” as “confusion still exists”.
He stated: “We believe that a complete ban is off the table, but we are unsure of what other measures will be implemented.”
