DigiPlus Interactive, the Philippines’ top online gaming provider, announced that it will acquire a majority stake in International Entertainment Corporation (IEC), the Hong Kong-listed parent of New Coast Hotel Manila, through a HK$1.6 billion ($205 million) convertible notes subscription.
IEC owns and operates the five-star New Coast Hotel Manila, an integrated hotel and casino complex licensed by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR).
Located along Roxas Boulevard in Malate, the property is undergoing renovations, with the casino expected to reopen in January 2026 and the hotel slated to open by the third quarter of the same year.
The notes will be issued in two tranches: HK$800 million ($102 million) upon satisfaction of customary conditions, followed by another HK$800 million ($102 million) within three months.
DigiPlus Chairman Eusebio H. Tanco
The securities carry a 3 percent annual interest and may be converted into shares at HK$1.00 ($0.13) apiece, giving DigiPlus a controlling 53.89 percent stake in IEC. If not converted, the notes will be redeemable at 108 percent after five years.
“This move marks a defining step toward DigiPlus’ long-term goal to create the most innovative and enjoyable experiences through an entertainment ecosystem, powered by cutting-edge technology and localized products for different cultures,” DigiPlus Chairman Eusebio Tanco said in a financial dispatch.
The deal, which will combine IEC’s hospitality and gaming expertise with DigiPlus’ digital entertainment platforms such as BingoPlus, ArenaPlus, and GameZone, remains subject to approval by IEC shareholders, Hong Kong regulators, and the Philippine Competition Commission.
Macau’s Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai delivered an optimistic assessment of the city’s economic outlook while unveiling a focused set of policies for 2025, aimed at accelerating the pivot toward economic diversification and aggressive global tourism promotion.
In his second policy address since being elected, the top official highlighted that Macau’s economy demonstrated solid growth in the first three quarters of 2025.
Gross Domestic Product reached MOP301.33 billion ($37.67 billion), marking a 4.2 percent year-on-year increase. The job market remained stable, with the overall unemployment rate at a low 1.8 percent, and unemployment among local residents at 2.4 percent.
The city’s fiscal health remains strong, as the fiscal reserve stood at a substantial MOP658 billion ($82.25 billion) by the end of September 2025 (comprising MOP167.3 billion ($20.91 billion) in the basic reserve and MOP490.7 billion ($61.34 billion) in the city’s extraordinary reserve.
For the first ten months of 2025, Macau’s cumulative GGR stood at MOP205.43 billion ($25.64 billion), representing an 8 percent increase year-on-year. However, the figure remains 16.7 percent below the same period in 2019, when GGR totaled MOP246.74 billion ($30.8 billion).
The tourism sector powered much of this recovery, with total visitor arrivals surging to 29.67 million (up 14.5 percent), including 1.89 million international visitors (up 12.4 percent).
Further focus beyond
The CE credited the positive economic trends to renewed visitor inflows, improved social stability, and ongoing public-administration reforms, confirming that economic recovery and adequate diversification are progressing steadily.
Despite the positive economic figures, the official stressed that implementing adequate economic diversification remains an “urgent task.” The strategy is two-pronged, demanding accelerated non-gaming development while aggressively marketing Macau globally.
Gaming sector under strict scrutiny
The government said it would ensure the “healthy and orderly development” of the gaming sector through strict legal compliance and improved digitalezed industry management. Preparations will be finalized for the end of the transition period for satellite casinos, with the labor rights of its workers to be guaranteed.
Crucially, the government will demand that concessionaires accelerate non-gaming investment projects, with a focus on initiatives that enhance Macau’s global competitiveness and support key industries in both Macau and Hengqin.
To ensure compliance, the government will set effectiveness indicators for non-gaming investment and periodically review overall contract adherence.
International arrivals in 2025
Macau will launch a campaign to draw visitors from beyond mainland China, actively tapping international tourist markets. The focus will be placed on Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and South America.
To support this drive, Macau plans to establish economic, commercial, tourism, and cultural representations in Southeast and Northeast Asian countries. Connectivity will be boosted by expanding flight networks at the Macau International Airport and attracting tourists from regions without direct connections via neighboring hubs, air-ticket discounts, and cross-border transport incentives.
Furthermore, the city will intensify promotion, particularly targeting young people through major international events and digital influencers to build Macau’s image as an “international influencer hub.”
The government will also strengthen cross-sector integration under the “Tourism+” concept, leveraging support from Hengqin and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to expand multi-destination tourism products.
Macau’s top official Sam Hou Fai warned that gross gaming revenue (GGR) remains below expectations and is unlikely to meet targets by the end of the year, citing the sector’s vulnerability to external economic conditions.
“Until now, GGR has not matched our expectations, and we don’t believe it will do so by November or December”, the city’s Chief Executive said in a press conference following his 2026 Policy address on Tuesday.
“The gaming sector is very vulnerable to external circumstances, and it is very hard to predict the changes in international factors and conditions,” noted the top official.
Sam Hou Fai noted that the government has withheld a forecast for next year’s GGR in its 2026 Policy Address, citing the industry’s sensitivity to shifting economic conditions.
Macau CE, Sam Hou Fai
The executive explained that gaming revenues from last November to this March had all fallen short of expectations. “The gaming sector is highly sensitive to changes in the broader environment,” he said, noting that both domestic and international factors directly affect the city’s flagship industry.
Hou Fai added that after April this year, the economic climate at home and abroad began to stabilize, helping tourism recover. Visitor arrivals in the first three quarters rose 14.5 percent year-on-year to more than 29 million, with international tourists contributing to the growth.
He pointed to Hong Kong and mainland China’s stock markets, which have reached their highest levels in seven to eight years, creating a “wealth effect” that has boosted the number of premium-mass patrons. But he cautioned that the upward trend may not continue next year.
“The projections for the second half of this year and next year will be announced by the Secretary for Economy and Finance,” Hou Fai said, stressing that the government must remain cautious as the current environment is shifting rapidly and economic uncertainties are growing.
Macau’s casino industry, the city’s flagship sector, has faced fluctuating fortunes in 2025. Hou Fai noted that after April, the stabilization of the international economy briefly lifted tourism and gaming revenues, but uncertainty has returned.
The city relies heavily on tourism from mainland China and Hong Kong, and its recovery from pandemic-era lows has been uneven, with officials balancing optimism over regional growth against concerns about global economic headwinds.
The city is on track to attract between 38 million and 39 million visitors in 2025, a number on par with pre-pandemic times, but that has not translated into similar gaming revenue.
For the first ten months of 2025, Macau’s cumulative GGR stood at MOP205.43 billion ($25.64 billion), representing an 8 percent increase year-on-year. However, the figure remains 16.7 percent below the same period in 2019, when GGR totaled MOP246.74 billion ($30.8 billion).
With reports suggesting weaker GGR this year, Sam Hou Fai stressed the unpredictability of external factors such as global tourism flows.
“This year many people say ASEAN economies have reached a new height, with Hong Kong’s stock market also growing a lot. But we can’t guarantee it will be so next year,” he cautioned.
Frederick Go, former president and chief executive officer of Universal Hotels and Resorts Inc., the operator of NUSTAR Resort Cebu, has been appointed Secretary of the Philippine Department of Finance, effective November 17th.
His appointment comes as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. reshuffled his cabinet in response to a widening flood control corruption scandal.
Go replaces Ralph Recto, who served as Finance Secretary before being reassigned as Executive Secretary in the same shift. Recto’s move follows the resignations of Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, whose departments were cited in allegations involving multibillion-peso flood control projects.
Go, 50, a member of the Gokongwei family’s business group via JG Summit Holdings, brings extensive private-sector experience to his new post. From 2018 to 2024 he served as president and CEO of Universal Hotels and Resorts, where he led the development of NUSTAR Resort and Casino—a 9.7-hectare integrated resort that opened in 2022 and which has since become a key tourism anchor in Cebu.
The project, a joint venture with the Cebu City government, includes a large casino with 250 gaming tables and 1,500 electronic gaming machines, three luxury hotels, a convention center, and multiple high-end dining outlets. Under Go’s leadership, NUSTAR positioned Cebu as a leading gaming and entertainment hub outside Metro Manila, drawing international visitors and contributing to local tourism revenues.
Before NUSTAR, Go held senior roles at Robinsons Land Corporation, where he helped expand its portfolio to more than 50 malls, 28 hotels, and various mixed-use developments. His broader corporate background spans retail, media, real estate, banking, and aviation, with board positions in over 100 companies.
In December 2023, he was appointed special assistant to the president for investment and economic affairs and chaired the Economic Development Group, coordinating efforts across key agencies such as the Departments of Finance and Trade and Industry to strengthen investment inflows and investor confidence.
Go assumes the finance portfolio at a time of economic headwinds, including a 4.7 percent growth outlook for 2025, ongoing typhoon-related recovery, and market uncertainty stemming from the corruption probe. He pledged to take on the role with “a deep sense of responsibility,” emphasizing fiscal stability, sustainable expansion, and broad-based prosperity.
Analysts say his business background may help advance public-private partnerships, tax reforms, and debt management as the government aims for 6 to 7 percent growth in 2026.
Sri Lanka’s Gambling Regulatory Authority Act, No. 17 of 2025, will officially come into force on December 1st, following a gazette notification issued by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
The enactment establishes a single, independent regulator to oversee all gaming activity in the country and marks a major restructuring of the nation’s gambling legal framework.
The Act enables the creation of the Gambling Regulatory Authority, which will assume oversight of casinos, online gaming, offshore gaming operations, and betting activities, including those onboard ships and within the Port City of Colombo.
Once effective, the legislation repeals three long-standing laws: the Betting on Horse-Racing Ordinance, the Gaming Ordinance, and the Casino Business (Regulation) Act of 2010. Existing operators will be required to transition into compliance under the new regulator.
The implementation follows the unanimous passage of the original bill in Parliament in August, shortly after its approval by the Parliamentary Committee on Public Finance.
Lawmakers emphasized that the Authority is intended to standardize the sector, strengthen compliance—including anti-money laundering measures—and mitigate potential social harm while supporting tourism and economic growth.
The timing of the Act is significant, coinciding with major investment and renewed international attention on Sri Lanka’s gaming market.
In August, Melco fully opened the $1.2 billion City of Dreams Sri Lanka, the country’s largest private investment and the company’s first project in South Asia. Industry experts previously told AGB that Sri Lanka’s ambition to position itself as “India’s Macau” hinges on consistent regulation and effective governance, making the new Authority a foundational element for future development.
The Gambling Regulatory Authority is empowered to issue legally enforceable social responsibility codes, broadening its reach to both land-based and remote gaming activities. Authorities say this consolidated approach is aimed at improving transparency, boosting investor confidence, and supporting the long-term stability of the sector.
Embattled PH Resorts Group Holdings recorded a net loss of PHP107.74 million ($1.89 million) in the third quarter of 2025, reversing from a net income of PHP101.34 million ($1.78 million) in the same period last year, as revenues and sales declined sharply.
The latest unaudited results were disclosed in the company’s quarterly filing on Monday.
The company’s revenues fell to PHP4.73 million ($83,000) in 3Q25, down 47.6 percent from PHP9.03 million ($158,000) a year ago. Sales dropped to PHP2.71 million ($47,500), compared with PHP4.31 million ($75,600) in 3Q24. The weaker performance was driven largely by lower room and food-and-beverage income at its Donatela Resort in Bohol, the group’s only operating property.
With operating expenses reaching PHP45.92 million ($805,000), the Philippines-based hospitality and gaming company posted an operating loss of PHP44.28 million ($777,000), slightly narrower than last year’s PHP54.37 million ($953,000). The company’s bottom line, however, was significantly affected by non-operating items, including foreign exchange losses and the absence of last year’s one-off income from nonrefundable transaction payments.
The third-quarter loss underscores the company’s continued financial strain as it works through the impact of the failed sale-and-leaseback repurchase of its Mactan casino development, the Emerald Bay Resort, which earlier triggered major asset derecognition and substantial write-downs.
For the first nine months of 2025, PH Resorts reported a net loss of PHP6.85 billion ($120.2 million), compared with PHP392.95 million ($6.9 million) a year earlier.
Revenues for the nine-month period also dropped to PHP22.15 million ($389,000), from PHP28.98 million ($508,000), while sales slipped to PHP12.49 million ($219,000), compared with PHP17.36 million ($305,000) in 2024.
The company continues to face liquidity pressures, with management citing ongoing talks with lenders, strategic investors, and its parent firm Udenna Corp. to support financing requirements and address capital deficiencies.
Paysecure, a leading global payment orchestration provider, has announced a new partnership with Approvely, a payments specialist with deep expertise in processing in the United States.
Paysecure’s platform empowers operators with a complete toolkit for managing payments at scale, including dynamic smart routing, global connectivity, advanced reporting, and a fully customisable cashier. By integrating with and working with partners like Approvely, Paysecure gives its clients the flexibility to optimize acceptance, reduce costs, and expand into new markets with confidence.
Approvely brings a comprehensive proposition for U.S. merchants, with a particular focus on fraud prevention and chargeback reduction. By leveraging a broad network of banking partners, Approvely helps businesses reduce risk exposure while ensuring reliable payment acceptance in one of the most complex and highly regulated markets.
Through the partnership, Paysecure clients targeting the U.S. market, particularly those with a U.S. entity, can now access Approvely’s processing capabilities as part of Paysecure’s extensive connection marketplace within their orchestration platform. The integration enhances operators’ ability to process transactions with higher reliability, reduced risk, and stronger protection against fraud.
Viktoriia Degtiarova, Co-Founder and CCO, Paysecure, said: “For our clients, the U.S. represents a high-value but complex market. This partnership, alongside Paysecure’s extensive product suite, gives operators a reliable and flexible way to access payment processing in the U.S., while benefiting from advanced fraud prevention, dynamic smart routing, and in-depth reporting. By combining our expertise with trusted local solutions, we’re helping clients expand confidently and optimise performance in one of the most challenging markets globally.”
This partnership marks a significant step in accelerating Approvely’s growth strategy within the U.S. market. By combining Approvely’s domestic processing expertise with Paysecure’s full orchestration suite we expand the number of merchants able to access Approvely’s industry leading services.
The collaboration delivers a comprehensive solution designed to maximise acceptance and reduce risk. Together, Approvely and Paysecure will not only provide greater value to a wider range of businesses in the U.S., but also lay the foundations for extending their joint capabilities into carefully selected international markets.
Chelsie Cooper, Founder & CEO, Approvely, added: “This partnership is about giving operators a domestic solution they can actually rely on. The U.S. is one of the most demanding payment markets in the world, and by joining forces with Paysecure, we’re making it easier for merchants to process transactions with confidence. Our shared focus on fraud prevention and risk management means clients don’t just get higher approval rates; they get real protection and long-term stability. Together, we’re opening the door for more businesses to succeed in high-growth U.S. verticals.”
Looking ahead, Paysecure and Approvely plan to explore opportunities to expand their collaboration beyond the United States, making Approvely’s fraud and risk management services available in selected non-U.S. markets.
Million Games has announced the launch of Million Dice, a streamlined, fast-play betting game designed for today’s casino environments.
Simple to learn yet endlessly engaging, the game puts players in control with one clear question: Will the dice land over or under your number?
Each round is immediate: players set a target between 1 and 100, choose their direction, and roll. Odds and multipliers update automatically, creating transparent gameplay that balances risk and reward in real time.
With an RTP of 98%, instant outcomes, and a responsive mobile interface, Million Dice delivers short, engaging sessions that fit perfectly into today’s high-velocity iGaming environment.
“Million Dice is proof that simplicity can be powerful,” said Thomas Nimstad, CEO of Million Games. “It’s a straightforward, transparent game that appeals to casual players while still offering strategic depth for those who enjoy balancing risk and reward. It’s designed to perform across any device and every audience.”
Million Dice joins the Million Games portfolio of simple, skill-infused titles like Million HiLo, expanding the brand’s reach into the fast-play category where clarity and excitement go hand in hand.
Now live at the milliongames.com, Million Dice is available for integration across partner networks and operators worldwide.
Brightstar Lottery announced that its subsidiary, LottoItalia S.r.l. (LottoItalia) has signed an agreement to operate the Italy Lotto for the next nine years.
In July 2025, LottoItalia, a consortium led by Brightstar (formerly International Game Technology PLC) and comprised of Allwyn, Arianna 2001 and Novomatic Italia, was awarded the Italy Lotto license by the Agenize delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (“ADM”) following a competitive bid process.
Italy Lotto is the largest fixed-odds number game in the world. Brightstar Lottery (and its predecessor companies) has managed the Italy Lotto license for more than 30 years. Through this agreement, the Company will continue to manage the license until November 2034.
Renato Ascoli, Brightstar CEO, Global Lottery
“We are delighted to finalize our agreement with ADM and honored to continue being entrusted to operate Italy Lotto, one of world’s largest lotteries,” said Renato Ascoli, Brightstar CEO, Global Lottery. “We look forward to driving Lotto wager growth with new player touchpoints and digitization of the retail experience, growing iLottery sales, and providing iCasino, sports betting, and other digital games to players in Italy.”
Brightstar serves nearly 90 lottery customers and their players on six continents. It is the primary technology provider to 26 of the 46 lottery jurisdictions in the U.S. and eight of the world’s 10 largest lotteries.
Gaming Laboratories International (GLI) has incorporated Bulletproof’s world-class Information Systems Security (ISS) assessment solutions into its Global Compliance Network, delivered by GLI’s expert professionals.
Since 2012, GLI has led the way in cybersecurity services, further expanding its capabilities with the acquisition of Bulletproof Solutions, Inc. in June 2016. This milestone brought world-class cybersecurity expertise to clients worldwide, building on more than four years of GLI’s prior experience in ISS and cybersecurity audits.
GLI will continue to provide cybersecurity assessments for both regulatory and non-regulatory purposes, while Bulletproof will keep providing ongoing remediation and monitoring services, keeping clients secure 24/7/365.
As part of the integration, the ISS solutions cover three broad categories, and each contains an important range of solutions to help companies of all types and sizes ensure their security in the face of ever-rising threats.
GLI’s Cybersecurity Assessment Solutions include infrastructure and vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, social engineering, and other security assessments and audits.
GLI’s Audit and Compliance Solutions include multiple ISO/IEC certifications, PCI/DSS health checks, GLI-GSF audits, multiple NIST certifications, and more.
GLI’s Strategy and Governance Solutions include virtual CISO and SEC, incident readiness assessment, ransomware security posture assessment, and others.
GLI Chief Revenue Officer Ian Hughes said, “As a global Testing, Inspection and Compliance (TIC) technology company, GLI is uniquely positioned to deliver industry-leading ISS services that are fully integrated with our world-class compliance services. The result of the integration is a comprehensive suite of services that offer both the highest levels of cybersecurity defense with the highest levels of compliance.”
Bulletproof President Steven Burns added, “Bulletproof remains steadfast in our commitment to delivering world-class IT and cybersecurity services. While our ISS-related assessment services are moving to a world-class TIC we are doubling down on innovative IT infrastructure solutions, our cloud security, compliance and governance offerings, and our portfolio of managed IT and security services – continuing to drive value through modernization and risk reduction for clients across industries and around the globe. This strategic decision reinforces Bulletproof’s dedication to excellence in IT and cybersecurity, ensuring businesses have the tools, resources, and support they need to drive, grow, and secure their business.”
