DigiPlus Interactive Corp. (DigiPlus) has won seven honours – including five coveted gold awards – at the 2025 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards. This milestone places DigiPlus among the most awarded companies in the region this year, spotlighting its strategic growth and transformative impact across digital entertainment, social development and investor relations.

The Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards are the only business awards Programme that recognises innovation across all 29 markets in the region. Widely regarded as the world’s premier business awards, the Stevie Awards represent a prestigious recognition of business excellence.

DigiPlus bagged five Gold Stevies for ‘Innovative Achievement in Growth’, ‘Innovation in Investor Relations’, ‘Excellence in Social Impact Companies’, ‘Innovation in Annual Reports’ and ‘Innovation in Corporate Websites’. The company also clinched Silver and Bronze Stevies for ‘Achievement in Product Innovation’ and ‘Innovation in Brand Renovation’ respectively.

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At the core of these wins is DigiPlus’ commitment to innovation and digital transformation. From redefining the player experience through localised and immersive content, to launching a refreshed brand identity that resonates with a more connected and tech-savvy user base, DigiPlus has embraced a future-forward mindset. The company’s calculated investments in big data, cutting-edge technologies and stakeholder engagement have not only fueled business growth, but also opened inclusive pathways to digital participation through its social development arm, BingoPlus Foundation.

“This momentous victory at the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards affirms DigiPlus’ emergence as a true powerhouse of innovation and progress, reshaping industry boundaries and redefining digital consumer engagement on a global scale. Through consistent growth and business performance, DigiPlus reaffirms its unwavering commitment to creating long-term value,” said DigiPlus Chairman Eusebio Tanco.

Winning entries in the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards undergo a rigorous, multi-layered evaluation by an esteemed panel of judges composed of business and industry leaders across the region.

“The 12th Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards received an impressive array of outstanding entries. This year’s winners have clearly shown their dedication to innovation, and we commend their resilience and imaginative efforts,” said Maggie Miller, President of the Stevie Awards.

Grand Korea Leisure (GKL), a quasi-public firm operating Seven Luck casinos for foreign nationals in Korea, has entered into a partnership with autonomous robot specialist Robotis to introduce artificial intelligence (AI)-powered self-driving robots customised for casino operations.

Under the agreement, the two companies plan to establish joint business models and service systems using autonomous robots and deploy the self-driving robots for transporting gaming chips and cards across three Seven Luck casino facilities.

They will also participate in a large-scale convergence robot demonstration project by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

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The latest achievement came as part of GKL’s efforts to digitize casino operations.

The two firms began a six-month pilot Programme in September 2024 at Seven Luck Casino at Seoul Dragon City hotel to collect autonomous driving data and jointly develop software tailored to casino environments.

“GKL is accelerating its transition to smart casinos in line with the government’s drive to realize the so-called ‘digital platform government’. By adopting AI-powered self-driving robots, we aim to provide a new and differentiated customer experience,” GKL CEO Yoon Doo-hyun said.

The digital platform government initiative — pushed by the Yoon Suk Yeol administration — aims to resolve diverse social problems and add value using the latest digital technologies.

In August 2023, GKL developed a mobile service platform, the SevenLuck+, for foreign tourists’ easier access to the casino.

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The service is the first of its kind developed by a Korean firm. Those who use the app do not have to bring traditional membership cards. It also provides push notifications for new events and promotions for the casino.

The service is powered by a blockchain-based decentralized identity technology, offering various services, such as e-wallet and entry authentication.

The Karnataka government has announced that it will introduce a new law to regulate online betting and gaming.

Home Minister G Parameshwara said a committee of senior officials and industry representatives has been constituted and it has been given a month’s time to submit a draft of the proposed bill.

“I chaired a meeting regarding online betting and gambling yesterday along with the IT Minister. Representatives from the industry were called. There is nothing to regulate them so far. They have agreed to the introduction of a licence system and a regulation as per law,” he said.

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The state government held a high-level meeting to discuss a legal framework for regulating online gaming.

IT-BT Minister Priyank Kharge said that the intent of the legislation is to curb online gambling, betting and games of chance, and protect consumers from fraud while supporting innovation and the sustainable growth of the skill-based gaming industry.

Karnataka is set to introduce a legal framework to ban gambling while permitting skill-based games following a model similar to that of Chhattisgarh.

Kharge said he held a detailed meeting with the state home minister, senior government officials, members of online gaming federations, and industry experts to discuss the proposed framework.

“The legitimate online skill-based gaming industry in India is a sunrise sector worth USD 4 billion, contributing Rs 12,000 crore in taxes and creating over 1.5 lakh jobs. Karnataka alone accounts for 25 percent of the market and contributes Rs 1350 crore annually in taxes, making it a key hub,” he said.

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The minister also raised concerns over the growing underground market of offshore gambling and illegal betting.

“Alongside the legitimate sector, there is a parallel underground market that is expanding rapidly, posing risks such as predatory money collection practices, dubious shell companies, financial fraud, data breaches, and cybercrimes,” he said.

Kharge also held discussions with representatives of the E-Gaming Federation (EGF), the All India Gaming Federation (AIGF) and the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS) regarding their collaborative “Code of Ethics” for the industry.