ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Business devider The Stock Market devider DigiPlus partnership, LaVie upgrades drive IEC's Philippine gaming expansion

DigiPlus partnership, LaVie upgrades drive IEC's Philippine gaming expansion

Published Aug 31, 2026 12:00 am  |  Updated Aug 29, 2026 02:03 pm

Hong Kong-listed International Entertainment Corp. (IEC) is banking on the expansion of LaVie Resort & Casino Manila and its entry into online gaming with DigiPlus Interactive Corp. to drive growth in the Philippines despite expectations of softer near-term momentum in the local gaming sector.

In an Aug. 28 statement, IEC said it remains optimistic about the long-term prospects of the Philippine gaming and tourism sectors, citing the country’s strategic position in Southeast Asia, supportive government policies and rising status as a travel destination.

The company, however, said short-term momentum in the Philippine gaming sector may soften amid geopolitical tensions and muted consumer spending.

IEC’s indirect wholly owned subsidiary New Coast Leisure Inc. (NCLI) signed a cooperation agreement on June 9 with Total Gamezone Xtreme Inc. (TGXI), a wholly owned subsidiary of DigiPlus, for LaVie’s online gaming operations.

Under the agreement, the companies will collaborate on the integration, aggregation, provision, technical support and operation of approved online games and related gaming content through or in connection with LaVie’s online gaming platform and operations, subject to regulatory approvals.

IEC said participation in online gaming is expected to broaden its revenue base, improve operational scalability and create new growth drivers.

The agreement would allow IEC to leverage TGXI’s existing online gaming infrastructure as it expands LaVie into digital gaming. The cooperation is non-exclusive and remains subject to Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) approval and other applicable regulatory requirements.

IEC has also expanded LaVie’s land-based gaming operations, completing renovation works on the casino’s ground floor in January. The additional gaming space allowed the property to accommodate more gaming tables and slot machines.

In May, IEC entered into another construction contract worth about HK$72.17 million for improvements to the hotel following the first two phases of construction works initiated last year.

The company said the latest renovations are intended to modernize outdated amenities and improve the hotel’s facilities, with the upgrades expected to support future casino and hotel revenue.

DigiPlus, meanwhile, fully paid its HK$1.6-billion, or about ₱12-billion, subscription to IEC convertible notes in June after settling the second HK$800-million tranche. The first HK$800-million tranche was completed in March.

The five-year convertible notes carry an annual interest rate of three percent. Upon full conversion, DigiPlus would hold a 53.89-percent majority stake in IEC.

DigiPlus has yet to convert the notes into equity, with the investment positioning the company to eventually take control of IEC and add a physical casino and hotel operation to its predominantly digital gaming business.

“Looking ahead, the group is strategically positioned to capture the next phase of growth in the Philippine gaming and tourism sectors,” IEC said.

IEC’s expansion comes as its gaming business recorded strong growth in its latest fiscal year (FY).

Gaming revenue surged 60.7 percent to HK$819.4 million during the 12 months ended June 30, 2026, driven by its land-based casino operations and provision of a gaming platform to other authorized gaming operators.

Overall revenue increased by 50.6 percent to HK$852.5 million, while gross profit jumped 66.4 percent to HK$454.6 million.

The company’s gross profit margin widened by five percentage points (ppts) to 53.3 percent from 48.3 percent a year ago.

Hotel operations, however, generated lower revenue of HK$33.1 million from HK$56.2 million a year ago due to the temporary closure of some rooms for renovation.

IEC reported a loss attributable to owners of HK$486.4 million, wider than the HK$282.1-million loss a year ago due partly to a non-cash loss from changes in the fair value of convertible notes.

Excluding the non-cash fair-value loss, IEC said its attributable loss narrowed by about 78.2 percent from a year ago.

Related Tags

International Entertainment Corp. (IEC) DigiPlus Interactive Corp.
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ static_articles_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.