Hann Holdings Inc., the owner and developer of the integrated resort (IR) brand Hann Resort, has partnered with a European technology firm and is poised to enter the online gaming market once regulatory issues are resolved by lawmakers and the government.

In an interview, Hann Group Founder, Chairman, President, and CEO Dae Sik Han said his integrated casino resort in Clark already has an online gaming license, but he clarified that this is different from the purely online gaming license that is popular now.

“The nature of the business, and whether it's PIGO or online, is pretty much the same because this is online gaming. We have an online platform with around 100 different games,” he said.

Han said the revenue from this current platform is “very, very, very minimal” and that it is not powerful enough.

“But I don't think that works right now. So that's why we're trying to improve or come up with a different online platform. Instead of an online platform (our will be) more like an omni platform, meaning we improve, we enhance the gaming experience with online accessibility.”

Han said this platform will be engaged in the same market as the current crop of online gaming apps, which lawmakers and regulators are trying to shape into a gaming business that will have less appeal to the less affluent sectors of the population.

“You know, I strongly believe that this online gaming business has to be properly regulated, because the side effect of generating revenue for the government is that there is some kind of negative impact on society, especially on kids and then low-income households,” he noted.

Han pointed out that “the tricky part is, if this regulated online gaming platform is gone, then does that mean nobody will gamble online? It's a different story, right? That's why the government is really trying to regulate this thing.”

While it will take the company and its technology partner only a few months to get their omni platform up and running, he said they prefer to wait for clearer guidelines from the government so they can incorporate these into their platform before it is launched.

“It will take some time, especially right now, the government is trying to impose much stricter regulations. That means that there will be a change of the gaming rules and all of these online platforms, in the future, everything has to fit into these new regulations. That's why I think it will take time,” Han said.

He also disclosed that they are still working on the partnership terms with the European technology firm to see whether it will be a purely service provider or if it will be an equity partner.

“We’re still working on the terms. So nothing is final yet. But it's open to any type of arrangement. It depends on how negotiations go,” he said.

Meanwhile, Han said their ₱13-billion initial public offering (IPO) will push through in September and he is open to have cornerstone investors take bigger chunks of the offered shares.

“It depends on what CLSA (issue manager) will propose. I am open to any possibility which will give additional value to the company,” he said.

Hann Holdings will offer to the public up to 500 million primary firm offer shares priced at up to ₱23.60 each. It also has an overallotment option of up to 50 million shares to be offered at the same price by the company’s selling shareholder, Hann Group Holdings W.L.L.

The offer period will run from Sept. 9 to 15, in time for listing on the main board of the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) on Sept. 23, according to the latest timetable submitted to the SEC.

The company is expected to net up to ₱11.43 billion from the primary offer, which will be used for capital expenditures (capex) to fund development and expansion plans, and general corporate purposes of its wholly owned subsidiary, Hann Philippines Inc.

In its offering prospectus, the company said “We intend to increase our market penetration by capturing the upward trend in the online gaming market in the Philippines.

“We continue to actively explore business opportunities for the integration of online gaming services into our business model, which will enable us to provide our existing patrons with alternative gaming platforms that are leading the gaming landscape.”

The firm has started the rollout of online gaming to its patrons through a unified platform, Hann Live Online, which as of March 31, 2025, hosts 103 random number generator games.

This initiative facilitates player access to a wide selection of games via internet-based platforms which has already been implemented in 2024 and the first quarter of 2025.

“We intend to expand our portfolio of e-casino games to approximately 500 games by end of 2025. As we diversify our gaming services, we will continue to enhance our technology and research and development (R&D) capabilities to support our venture into online gaming.

“We intend to redefine the gaming landscape by offering a blend of brick-and-mortar gaming and online gaming. To facilitate this, we will integrate the remote gaming in the Hann Live Online platform,” the company said.