LISTED DigiPlus Interactive Corp. has called on the government for a dialogue on the proposed regulation of online gaming.
“We are open to evolving and improving wherever needed. If there are new standards to meet, or better ways to protect players, we will act swiftly and responsibly. But please, do not condemn an industry, and the 50,000 Filipino families who rely on it, without hearing the facts first,” DigiPlus Chairman Eusebio Tanco said in a statement on Wednesday.
DigiPlus expressed “deep concern that responsible, law-abiding operators are being swept into a tide of suspicion meant to catch those who have never complied with regulation in the first place.”
The company said many of the measures now being debated in Congress, such as rigorous know-your-customer (KYC) checks; mandatory age verification that bars minors and vulnerable players; self-exclusion tools; and responsible-gaming prompts, have been in place in its platforms since November 2024.
DigiPlus stressed that it has always done its best to align its operations with regulatory expectations from the Philippine Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) and other relevant government agencies.
“Every peso flowing through its platforms is taxed, audited, and remitted to PAGCOR and the Bureau of Internal Revenue, funding healthcare, infrastructure, and disaster relief,” DigiPlus said, adding that despite this “we are made to answer for the crimes of illegal operators who respect neither law nor livelihood.”
Tanco said the government should approach the issue rationally and instead target the illegal market, where underage gambling happens and where financial abuse thrives.
DigiPlus said the consequences of a total ban go far beyond corporate risk, with more than 3,000 direct DigiPlus employees, and some 50,000 jobs across the online gaming industry’s nationwide network now at risk.
