GameZone celebrates Alas skills and purpose with rebranded GameZone Tour

From season to season, GameZone has reached new heights of development. Increasing the stakes, making it more enjoyable, offering entertainment for the greater good, and maintaining its competitive element while continuing to motivate other players. 

At the PNB Events Hall in Pasay City on March 8, GameZone wrapped up its enhanced tournament series, the GameZone Tour: Tongits Plus Champions Cup Season 4. On March 5, the tournament's offline phases got underway, with the top 36 players vying to place in the top 9 and advance to the semifinals.

With the coveted golden trophy up for grabs, the season featured an incredible ₱10 million prize fund. The game continued until only Ahrold Tubig, Gina Bengco, and Pilar Fernandez—three of the top players who controlled their individual tables—remained out of 36 players.

Tubig led Bengco and Fernandez in the first part of the final match, which pitted the top three finalists against each other in a series of exhausting rounds. As they fought it out, each player's unique abilities and game expertise were on display.

The players were questioned on their general experience and strategy for the second half of the championship game during the halftime break. Tubig showed wonderful sportsmanship by wishing his competitors success and mentioning that he has been using the GameZone app for two years.

Bengco, who came in second, claimed to have been using the GameZone software for three years. The eldest of the three, Fernandez, revealed that she had been using regular playing cards to play the game since she was a teenager. "Try and try until you succeed" is her inspirational advice for anyone who want to participate in the competition.

(L-R) President of Gamemaster Integrated Inc., Jasper Vicencio, together with Pilar Fernandez, 
Gina Bengco, and Ahrold Tubig

The Glory Ring competition, a side competition that runs concurrently with the main game, is one of the exciting new gameplay elements that have been added to the entire GameZone experience. Renato Flores won the tournament debut, and there were 60 players competing for the golden ring and reward.

The Games and Amusement Board supported the competition and reaffirmed its message of responsible gaming by attending the event. 

Rafael Jasper Vicencio, President of Gamemaster Integrated Inc., was also in attendance. He spoke live during the Gamemaster Talks part about how DigiPlus and GameZone are leading the industry in innovation and creating immersive experiences for its players.

He added that the company has contributed to creating a secure gaming environment for its customers by enforcing stringent KYC (know your customer) checks, self-exclusion, and reminders on responsible gaming.

Celebrities Awra Briguela, Yskaela Fujimoto, and Christine Samson attended a celebrity match for a cause organized by comedian and actress Negi, adding even more fun with a reason. Their prizes were given to Friends of Saint Mary MacKillop Inc., LoveYourself Inc., and the FutureSmart Scholars program of the DigiPlus Foundation.

A celebrity match for a cause during the GameZone Tour

Angela Camins-Wieneke, Executive Director of the DigiPlus Foundation, presented the awards. It was how DigiPlus and GameZone extended their efforts to support different organizations in accordance with their individual missions and areas of focus.

With their own families and friends present, the audience cheered for their preferred player to win as the second half of the game progressed. Some streamed on the GameZone Tour social media page at the same time.

The game ended with Tubig maintaining his lead with 23,300 points, winning and taking home his championship trophy and the ₱5 million grand prize after a protracted, intense battle. Pilar Fernandez, the audience favorite, ended third with 14,200 points and earned ₱500,000, while Bengco finished second with 22,500 points and ₱1 million.

The finalists of GameZone Tour: Tongits Plus Champions Cup Season 4

In addition to the competition, the rebranded GameZone Tour experience added side games and booths that enticed visitors to participate in order to win prizes. Throughout the day, GameZone presented community-driven projects in collaboration with the DigiPlus Foundation.

As the fight got underway, a champion was also unveiled. World boxing champion and legend Manny Pacquiao joined the GameZone as its newest brand ambassador, promoting the Ikaw ang Alas campaign, which will help the tournament's competitors win the GameZone Tour 2026.

Manny Pacquiao announced as GameZone’s newest brand ambassador

As their abilities improved throughout the competition, everyone got a taste of the real GameZone. The GameZone Tour: Tongits Plus Champions Cup will go on all year long, offering both new and seasoned community members entertainment as more games are added to the competition.

About DigiPlus

DigiPlus Interactive Corp. pioneered digital entertainment in the Philippines. It introduced the leading platforms BingoPlus and ArenaPlus, widely known for their engaging interactive gaming and sports entertainment experiences. DigiPlus also operates GameZone, with more to come. For more information visit www.digiplus.com.ph.

DigiPlus strengthens player protection with surety bond for BingoPlus, ArenaPlus, and GameZone

The nation's leading provider of digital entertainment, DigiPlus Interactive Corp., which also owns BingoPlus, ArenaPlus, and GameZone, today announced a historic alliance with Philippine First Insurance Co.  Inc. (PhilFirst), the first domestic insurance provider in the nation.  Together, they have established the first-ever surety bond program for online gamers in the Philippines, therefore raising the bar for player protection.  The program is instantly effective.

As long as their eKYC (electronic Know-Your-Customer) information is current and they continue to play within the platform's rules, gamers will have greater peace of mind each time they log in.  They now enjoy BingoPlus, ArenaPlus, and GameZone knowing their wallets and balances are even more protected, whether they are casual gamers or devoted fans celebrating a significant win.

This program provides eligible athletes with an additional financial safety net.  Without requiring clients to buy an additional policy, the surety bond protects player balances up to ₱1 million per player.

“DigiPlus is proud to be the first in the industry to roll out this level of consumer protection. We are committed to putting our players first. With this surety bond, they can play confidently on BingoPlus, ArenaPlus, and GameZone, knowing that their funds are safeguarded.” ~Eusebio H. Tanco, DigiPlus Chairman

DigiPlus' dedication to dependable customer service and protection is reinforced by this most recent action, which adds the surety bond to its 130+ physical BingoPlus locations countrywide and round-the-clock customer support—both of which are already dependable and convenient for players.

By adding the surety bond, DigiPlus is further elevating industry standards by providing its clients with a more robust assurance of trust, security, and peace of mind in addition to entertaining and cutting-edge gaming options.

About DigiPlus Interactive Corp.

DigiPlus Interactive Corp. pioneered digital entertainment in the Philippines. It introduced leading platforms BingoPlus, ArenaPlus, and GameZone, widely known for their engaging experiences in interactive gaming and sports entertainment. For more information, visit: www.digiplus.com.ph.

About PhilFirst

PhilFirst Insurance is the first Filipino domestic insurance company in the Philippines, offering a wide array of non-life insurance coverage to individuals and corporations.

Established in 1906, PhilFirst provides insurance services for homes, motor vehicles, personal accidents, travel, liability, marine, engineering, and bonds. The Company is dedicated to delivering excellent and personalized service to ensure customer satisfaction while addressing the needs of its partners, brokers, agents, and stakeholders.

We maintain a team of highly competent and motivated employees who adhere to our corporate values of excellence, integrity, creativity, innovation, and social responsibility.

At PhilFirst, we’re proud to bring our 119 years of insurance expertise into the digital entertainment space through this groundbreaking partnership with DigiPlus. Protecting the hard-earned funds of BingoPlus, ArenaPlus, and GameZone players reflects our promise to keep evolving with the market while staying true to our core mission: giving Filipinos peace of mind so they can fully enjoy life’s opportunities. This surety bond is more than a product – it’s proof that PhilFirst is ready to safeguard customers wherever innovation takes them.

Revolutionising digital entertainment in the Philippines

Putting the GAME in eGaming: DigiPlus utilises cutting-edge technologies and a deep bench of experts from different spaces within the gaming industry.

Traditional bingo is deeply ingrained in Filipino culture. Such gaming activities have served as a space where people from all walks of life get to enjoy, relax, and build meaningful connections with every game.

However, the unprecedented times brought by the pandemic changed the entire gaming industry amidst quarantine restrictions preventing any form of social gatherings. The public crisis also rapidly pushed digital adoption across the world. This comes amidst a digitally adept young demographic and a significant penetration of the Internet and smartphones in recent years.

This brought both a challenge and an opportunity for gaming and leisure company DigiPlus Interactive in leading digitalisation in the Philippine gaming industry whilst creating enjoyable experiences for its players across channels.

DigiPlus Interactive has launched BingoPlus in January 2022. It is the first digital platform where bingo-loving Filipinos can play with the convenience of time and place by bringing the game live online. BingoPlus leverages the company’s deep understanding of its customers whilst bringing in innovation and technologies to offer new entertainment product formats to more Filipinos.

BingoPlus’ brick-and-mortar or traditional bingo operations also complemented the foray into the digital space. DigiPlus Interactive currently operates at least 200 bingo halls in different parts of the Philippines, which continue to be popular amongst Filipinos.

The strong performance of BingoPlus propelled the robust growth of DigiPlus. In 2022, DigiPlus posted a turnaround in its financial performance, with a net income of ₱686.9m coming from a net loss of ₱894.6m in the previous year. Furthermore, in the first nine months of 2023, DigiPlus registered a net income of ₱2.1b, more than a tenfold growth from 2022.

As the first and only government-licensed digital bingo platform in the country, BingoPlus is reshaping the country’s gaming industry. Continuing to dominate the digital gaming space, BingoPlus has opened up new opportunities, triggering a proliferation of online gaming platforms in the Philippines. This healthy competition fosters innovation and creativity that fundamentally benefits the customers.

The platform has also since become a community and entertainment platform, a source of revenue for the Philippine government, and a contributor to various social and educational non-profit programmes.

“The success of BingoPlus has paved the way for [DigiPlus] to undertake a strategic transformation to position itself as a digital entertainment platform.”

It added its plans of launching new and innovative game offerings to cater to broader demographics and lifestyle preferences.

The platform’s continued investment in research and development, as well as its efforts in revolutionising the digital gaming experience, has been lauded by the inaugural Asian Management Excellence Awards, with the company bringing home the Philippines Innovator of the Year - Media & Entertainment category win.

The coveted awards programme celebrates the finest business leaders, innovators, and companies in Asia, and commends exceptional achievements in the various aspects of operations, including employee engagement programmes, diversity and inclusion projects, and health and wellness initiatives.