Regulatory hurdles force delay for Razon's gaming App
Billionaire Enrique K. Razon Jr. is not in a hurry to fully launch his online galing app MegaFUNalo! and has moved the official launch date to the last quarter of 2025 or the first quarter next year amid uncertainties in the regulatory environment.
Unicapital Securities Research Analyst Jeri R. Alfonso said, “For now, BLOOM (Bloomberry Resorts Corporation) is in no rush to have a full launch of its online gaming app. They are targeting either 4Q25 or 1Q26.”
“BLOOM is holding back on marketing spend for its online gaming segment, taking a wait-and-see stance given ongoing regulatory concerns. Management noted that new rules now restrict certain ad strategies,” she added
These restrictions include the prohibition on the use of animations, cartoon characters, or mascots as these are seen to appeal to younger players. In addition to that, the use of billboards to advertise is also prohibited.
During this period, the firm is seen to incur lower operating expenses for the app as heavier marketing spend to push their online gaming platform in the first half had added to the higher costs of ramping up operations of Solaire North.
According to the management the “MegaFUNalo!” app racked up around ₱509.5 million in expenses, which ended up squeezing EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) margin.
Soft-launched last June, MegaFUNalo featuring free Viva Movies as an added bonus to players.Free movies include action, comedy, drama, fantasy, romance, thrillers, and even Koreanovelas.
Abacus Securities Corporation said earlier that Bloomberry confirmed it will spend heavily, in the order of at least ₱1.0 billion to ₱2.0 billion per quarter, just on advertising and promotions to help the online business get some traction.
It added that Bloomberry’s management has revealed that they have a third-party provider for the mobile app being developed, who will then be entitled to a revenue-sharing scheme, which wasn't specified.