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Industry experts gathered at Global Gaming Expo Asia @ the Philippines 2025 underlined how the Covid-19 pandemic fundamentally accelerated the transition of gaming operations from land-based to online platforms. A discussion panel focused on multi-platform gaming provision across the Philippines revealed that pandemic-driven closures of physical casinos catalyzed a digital transformation that might otherwise have taken a decade or longer by natural market evolution.
Forced Transition Becomes Permanent Market Shift
Ricardo Banaag, president and chief executive of DFNN Inc, which operates multiple online gaming licenses through subsidiary Inter-Active Entertainment Solutions Technologies Inc with products including Instawin and Xchangebet, explained that the pandemic created an immediate practical necessity for gaming migration to digital platforms. When traditional casino venues shuttered due to public health restrictions, established players seeking familiar gaming experiences had no choice but to explore online alternatives.
This forced transition proved unexpectedly durable. Rather than reverting to land-based gaming following facility reopenings, many players maintained their online engagement, suggesting the shift reflected deeper market preferences than mere temporary pandemic adaptation.
Contemporary Casino Competitiveness Requires Digital Presence
The panel consensus indicated that land-based casinos now struggle to maintain competitive player offerings without complementary online gaming services in jurisdictions permitting such operations. Over time, the gaming market has evolved to a place where multi-platform availability is expected, and for the modern casino operator looking to stay relevant with today’s consumer, a digital presence is no longer optional. This competitive necessity reflects fundamental consumer behavior shifts rather than regulatory mandates, suggesting the market has internalized online gaming as a standard component of gaming entertainment offers irreversibly.
Prevention of Illicit Market Expansion
Panelists stressed that comprehensive bans on licensed online gaming would likely push consumers toward unregulated alternative providers operating outside regulatory jurisdiction. They emphasized that the online gaming “genie” cannot practically be returned to its bottle given the massive Filipino population’s familiarity with digital gaming platforms and their demonstrated preference for online play.
Restricting licensed providers to monopoly positions would create regulatory vacuum encouraging illicit marketplace expansion, undermining consumer protection and regulatory oversight simultaneously.
Regulatory Framework Evolution in the Philippines
In December 2020, during the pandemic, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp affirmed that certain Entertainment City casino resorts had obtained Philippine Inland Gaming Operator permissions to deliver remote gaming services to domestic customers. This regulatory adaptation acknowledged pandemic necessity while establishing frameworks connecting online players to land-based licensees.
Banaag noted that PAGCOR’s Gaming Site Regulatory Manual mandates that every online player registration must link to a land-based gaming outlet, preserving regulatory connection between digital and traditional gaming infrastructure.
E-Wallet Disruption and Market Response
The August central bank directive requiring electronic wallet services to delink from gaming platforms highlighted regulatory tensions surrounding online gaming provision. Legal advisor Marie Antonette Quiogue noted that at its peak, a major e-wallet provider served 94 million users representing 84 percent of the Philippines’ 112 million population, demonstrating the massive digital payment infrastructure supporting online gaming.
Global Timeline Compression and Industry Transformation
BetConstruct deputy head of business development Artur Manasaryan indicated that globally, gaming’s technological migration, which conventionally required 10-15 years compressed into 2-3 years following pandemic onset. He emphasized that most gaming operators now consider online presence mandatory from competitive and business sustainability perspectives rather than optional strategic choice.
Sustainable Licensing and Player Protection
Manasaryan advocated that robust self-exclusion protocols constitute essential elements of sustainable licensed online gaming development. He referenced United Kingdom frameworks where self-exclusion from one regulated platform restricts access across thousands of licensed operators, though noting that many previously self-excluded players subsequently sought alternative gambling venues.
Pandemic-Driven Digital Gaming Normalization
The Philippines’ gaming sector exemplifies how crisis-driven digital transitions can become permanent market structures. Rather than representing temporary pandemic expedients, online gaming has established itself as fundamental market infrastructure complementing rather than replacing traditional casino operations.
Source: GGR Asia
