RETAIL GROUP – Retail Business Units continues to be a strategic priority in increasing DigiPlus Interactive Corporation’s reach and depth of the growing gaming market.
Bingo Operations
AB Leisure Exponent, Inc. (ABLE) is the pioneer in professional bingo gaming in the Philippines and a 100% subsidiary of the Company. It is also popularly known as Bingo Bonanza Corporation. ABLE is the operator and licensee of Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) for bingo games. The bingo parlors have become community and entertainment centers, a source of revenue for the government, and a sponsor for fund-raising activities relating to social and educational programs. It continues to be the biggest contributor to the Company’s gross revenue.
Bingo Bonanza continues to dominate professional bingo game in the country with a 35% percent market share. As of the end of 2015, there were 119 strategically located bingo halls, 47 of which are in the traditional bingo sites and 72 are Bingo Boutiques sites. The bingo parlors started with traditional bingo games. Bingo Boutiques are compact bingo parlors that contain mainly electronic machines.
The Company was one of the pioneers in introducing Electronic Bingo games (E-bingo). The popularity of these machines has swelled and has now become the ABLE’s principal product line. E-bingo is played through an electronic bingo machine, which generates the games and the cards. A total of 8,585 E-bingo machines were installed in 119 affiliated bingo parlors as of December 2015. The dynamic transition to electronic games was due to the technological advances made in the gaming industry.
Traditional bingo games as well as the bingo halls will continue and these games will thrive as the Company continues to innovate by introducing game variations. The company also added the Video Link Bingo. This system enables bingo players in one parlor to play simultaneously the same game with players in other parlors for bigger payouts.
To maintain its edge, the renovation of existing bingo halls is an ongoing project to make our sites more appealing and comfortable for our patrons.
eCasino Operations
On 21 July 2014, the Company acquired Total Gamezone Xtreme, Inc. (TGXI), the operator and licensee of PAGCOR eGames stations (PeGS) that act as a site where one can play casino games on computer terminals. PEGS are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and are located all over Metro Manila and nearby areas.
The company continues to expand its operations through rebranding of existing PeGS, setting up new gaming venues in new locations, and acquiring existing branches from other operators. As of 31 December 2015, TGXI has 53 branches with a total of 1,974 terminals.