Kevin Tan, the son of Filipino-Chinese tycoon Andrew Tan, is making a significant move into the booming online gambling market through his leadership at Newport World Resorts, aiming to carve out a share in this blue ocean market valued at 200 billion pesos.
Insiders revealed that Newport World Resorts quietly launched a beta version of a gambling app a few months ago and is currently undergoing a comprehensive upgrade. It is expected to launch a unified platform integrating various gambling functions soon, officially joining the fierce competition.
This strategic move will position Newport to confront its main competitors head-on—Solaire and Okada casinos, supported by Filipino super tycoon Ricky Razon. However, the Philippine online gambling market is still dominated by Digiplus, which led with revenues of 23 billion pesos in the first quarter of 2025, far ahead of other competitors.
According to the latest data from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), the total gaming revenue in the first quarter of 2025 reached 1041.2 billion pesos, a 27% increase year-over-year, with electronic gaming contributing nearly half of the revenue at 513.9 billion pesos, becoming the largest source of income in the Philippine gambling industry.
Alejandro H. Tengco, Chairman and CEO of PAGCOR, emphasized that the rise of electronic gaming is reshaping the landscape of the Philippine gambling industry, and Newport World's entry will undoubtedly add more variables to this rapidly developing market.
