Philippine-listed DigiPlus Interactive Corp says one of the group’s wholly-owned subsidiaries, DigiPlus Brazil Interactive Ltda, has “passed the qualification stage” for a federal licence for iGaming operations in Brazil. The assessment is being conducted by the Ministry of Finance’s Secretariat of Awards and Bets of Brazil, according to a press release issued on Thursday by DigiPlus.
“This milestone advances DigiPlus into the final stages of the licensing process, bringing it closer to participation in Brazil’s newly-regulated iGaming sector, one of Latin America’s most dynamic and rapidly growing gaming markets,” stated the parent company.
DigiPlus is a Philippine holding company with investment in gaming and leisure businesses, including bingo and a digital sportsbook platform.
As of September 30, the group had 127 land-based bingo venues in the Philippines, of which 119 were operational, it had noted in a recent filing to the country’s stock exchange. In 2022 the firm launched an online bingo service, BingoPlus.
In February 2023, DigiPlus introduced ArenaPlus, a new brand for its sports betting operations. One of the group’s other units operates casino slot arcades at four “Pagcor VIP clubs”.
Thursday’s update said regarding its effort to enter the Brazil market, that DigiPlus would now have “30 days to fulfill post-qualification regulatory requirements, including platform certification and licence fee payments”.
“After completing the post-qualification requirements, the Secretariat of Awards and Bets shall release the final list of operators authorised to operate from January 1, 2025, onwards,” added the announcement.
DigiPlus stated that if it were successful, the group would be able “to operate online sports betting and other iGaming offerings in Brazil”.
“With a population exceeding 200 million and great enthusiasm for sports betting, Brazil represents a significant growth opportunity for DigiPlus,” stated the company.
Eusebio Tanco, chairman of DigiPlus, was cited in the announcement as saying that the company was “committed” to deploy its “expertise in responsible and innovative gaming to Brazil”
“As we navigate the final steps of the licensing process, we remain confident in our ability to align with Brazil’s regulatory requirements,” stated Mr Tanco.
He added: “This underscores our dedication to expanding into a new region while maintaining our focus on the Philippines as our core market.”
DigiPlus reported net income of PHP8.74 billion (US$148.3 million) for the first nine months of 2024, on revenue that rose by 222.6 percent year-on-year, to PHP51.56 billion.
On Monday, DigiPlus issued a statement saying there were “no definitive plans at this time” to acquire CasinoPlus, an online gaming provider regulated by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (Pagcor). CasinoPlus holds a gaming licence for its under-renovation integrated resort, the Hotel Stotsenberg and Casino in Clark, located two hours north of the capital Manila.
DigiPlus’ comment was a clarification of a report in the news outlet Bilyonaryo.com, which said DigiPlus was set to acquire CasinoPlus.
