Asia
GEG Title-Sponsors the “Alphabets & Friends” Literary and Cultural Festival
Galaxy Entertainment Group (GEG) has been actively supporting cultural and artistic exchanges between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, and advancing the establishment of Macau as “a base for exchange and cooperation where Chinese culture is the mainstream and diverse cultures coexist”. Spanning over 30 activities from April 4 to May 6, the “Galaxy Entertainment Group Presents: Literary and Cultural Festival for Parents and Children ‘Alphabet & Friends’ 2025” (the Festival) was jointly organised by the Portuguese Institute of the Orient (IPOR) and the Consulate-General of Portugal in Macau and Hong Kong and title-sponsored by GEG. As part of the Festival, GEG hosted an exclusive parent-child story creation session at the Galaxy Kidz Edutainment Centre, inviting over 30 local children and parents from the Associação Promotora da Instrução dos Macaenses to participate. Together, they created and read Portuguese-language stories, deepening their understanding and interest in Portuguese culture through relaxed and interesting interactions. Since its inception in 2021, GEG has supported the Festival for five consecutive years, facilitating cultural exchanges within Macau’s Chinese-Portuguese community. Including this year’s activities, the Festival has drawn participation from 40 local schools and institutions, totaling over 10,000 participants.
During the parent-child story creation session at the Galaxy Kidz Edutainment Centre, Ms. Catarina Mesquita, founder of Macau’s first trilingual children’s book publishing company, Mandarina Books, inspired the creativity of children in an educational and entertaining way, guiding them to use different Portuguese phrases and vocabularies to create unique stories based on everyday life. Portuguese cartoonist, Mr. Rodrigo de Matos, also attended the event and vividly illustrated the children’s ingenious ideas on canvas. The children and their parents added colorful stickers to their works afterwards in a warm and lively atmosphere. Additionally, Ms. Mesquita brought her books, published in Chinese, English and Portuguese, for the participating families to read together, allowing them to experience the joy of cross-cultural communication.
Mr. Mário Herculano Fernandes Estorninho, a representative from the Associação Promotora da Instrução dos Macaenses, said: “We sincerely thank GEG and all the organizers for providing this rich cultural experience. The event not only sparked children’s creativity and imagination through engaging activities, but also fostered their interest in storytelling, improved their expression and comprehension skills in the Portuguese language, and deepened their understanding of Portuguese culture.”
For the first time, the series of activities in this year’s Festival were the “reading points” of the “Reading Month in the City of Macao 2025” organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macau SAR Government (ICM). The Festival was linked to a number of related initiatives, such as International Children’s Book Day, World Book Day and World Portuguese Language Day, with various activities ranging from concerts, theater performances, parent-child workshops, children’s book fairs and book launches around the theme of “Artificial Intelligence in Education – The Robot and I” held to the enthusiastic response of different sectors. Furthermore, at the “Mini Library”, one of the key events of the Festival, IPOR, the Consulate-General of Portugal in Macau and Hong Kong and GEG jointly donated a collection of nearly 400 books by Portuguese-language authors, including some bilingual editions released during the Festival, to nearly 40 non-tertiary local schools that include Portuguese in their curriculum in hopes of enhancing local youth’s interest in reading and deepening their understanding of the Portuguese culture through high-quality bilingual learning materials.
Over the years, GEG has upheld its philosophy of “What is taken from the community is to be used for the good of the community” by supporting Chinese-Portuguese cultural and artistic events in Macau through diverse ways, hoping to enrich the city’s multicultural landscape. In this March, GEG sponsored the Macau Literary Festival for the 11th time, providing a platform for literary exchange between cultural and artistic advocates from China and Portuguese-speaking countries. Last year, GEG supported the “GEG Lusofonia Festival” for the second consecutive year, serving as one of its organisers for the first time alongside ICM. Since 2021, GEG has partnered with ICM to launch a variety of initiatives under the “Encounter in Macao – Arts and Cultural Festival between China and the Portuguese-speaking Countries”, including supporting the “GEG Traditional Music and Dance Performance in the Community” held at Galaxy Macau integrated resort for two consecutive years. Additionally, GEG has supported the “China and Portuguese-speaking Countries Film Festival” for four consecutive years, co-hosting it twice and providing outdoor screenings at GEG’s revitalisation project – the Lai Chi Vun Shipyards during this past edition.
The post GEG Title-Sponsors the “Alphabets & Friends” Literary and Cultural Festival appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Reading Time: < 1 minute
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has given gaming affiliates, developers and support service providers until early 2026 to comply with its newly implemented B2B Accreditation Framework, a regulatory system that formalises participation in the iGaming supply chain.
Companies that submit applications by December 31, 2025, will qualify for a three-year initial accreditation, while unaccredited foreign content providers face removal from licensed platforms after March 31, 2026.
The framework, which took effect on October 2, sets mandatory accreditation requirements for all third-party entities providing gaming content, systems or technical support to PAGCOR-licensed operators.
Accreditation covers several categories, including gaming affiliates, game content providers (GCPs) and support service providers (SSPs). Gaming affiliates may act as aggregators that distribute multiple game titles to operators, while GCPs are developers or studios supplying electronic game software or live-streamed content.
Accreditation is valid for two years from the date of PAGCOR Board approval, an increase from the previous one-year term.
Foreign data or content streaming providers that fail to secure accreditation by the March 2026 deadline will have their content deemed “non-compliant and unauthorized.” They may appoint a Philippine-registered company or a PAGCOR-accredited Gaming System Administrator as their exclusive distributor instead of setting up a local office.
PAGCOR has warned that licensed operators using unaccredited service providers may face sanctions.
The post PAGCOR Enforces Accreditation for All iGaming Service Providers by 2026 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Aquisitions/Mergers
Gregorio Araneta to Sell its Entire 57% Stake in PhilWeb to Nexora Holdings and Velora Holdings
Reading Time: < 1 minute
Philippine eGames provider PhilWeb’s principal shareholder Gregorio Araneta Inc (GAINC) is going to sell its entire 57% stake in PhilWeb to Nexora Holdings Inc and Velora Holdings Inc for a total consideration of Php1.8 billion (US$30.8 million), representing 829,574,354 common shares.
GAINC is owned by Gregorio “Greggy” Araneta III, a member of the powerful Araneta family and the brother-in-law of Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Given that the transaction would involve control of more than 35% of the outstanding voting shares of PhilWeb, the buyers will be required to conduct a mandatory tender offer to remaining shareholders to acquire full control of the company as per local laws.
PhilWeb noted that the buyers are closely linked to the company, with current PhilWeb President & Director Edgar Brian K. Ng also serving as President, Chairman & a Director of Nexora, while current PhilWeb Vice Chairman and Director Crisanto Roy B. Alcid is a Director and the Treasurer of Nexora.
The post Gregorio Araneta to Sell its Entire 57% Stake in PhilWeb to Nexora Holdings and Velora Holdings appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Reading Time: 2 minutes
DigiPlus Interactive Corp. (DigiPlus), the pioneer in digital entertainment in the Philippines, announced an exclusive partnership with Bayad, a trusted authority in bills payment services, to expand over-the-counter (OTC) or physical payment options for players of BingoPlus, ArenaPlus and GameZone.
The partnership was formally signed on October 8, 2025, led by top executives from both companies: Eusebio H. Tanco, Chairman of DigiPlus; Jasper Vicencio, President of AB Leisure Exponent Inc., a subsidiary of DigiPlus; Ray C. Espinosa, Chairman of Bayad; and Lawrence Y. Ferrer, President and CEO of Bayad. The agreement is effective immediately, making DigiPlus Bayad’s only gaming partner for OTC cash transactions.
Through this collaboration, DigiPlus customers gain access to Bayad’s extensive network of payment touchpoints, present across 800+ Bayad Center branches and Bayad Partners in malls, supermarkets and convenience stores nationwide.
Bayad is accredited by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) as an Electronic Money Issuer (EMI). DigiPlus partners only with BSP-accredited payment channels in accordance with the requirements of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), ensuring that all player wallet transactions are processed through secure and compliant payment platforms.
BingoPlus, ArenaPlus and GameZone players can now make cash-ins or deposits through Bayad. Additional features including cash-outs or withdrawals and access through the Bayad App will be rolled out in next phases, providing DigiPlus customers with more options to manage their funds conveniently and safely.
“At DigiPlus, our priority is to deliver engaging entertainment while ensuring safe and reliable services for our players. This partnership with Bayad provides customers with more secure and convenient ways to manage their transactions, reinforcing our commitment to player protection and dependable service at every touchpoint,” said Eusebio H. Tanco, Chairman of DigiPlus Interactive Corp.
“Today, we take another meaningful step forward through our partnership with DigiPlus. Together, we’re expanding access to digital channels and offering new, engaging, and responsible ways for Filipinos to experience convenience and entertainment made possible by accessible and inclusive financial services,” said Atty. Ray C. Espinosa, Chairman of the Board at Bayad.
The Bayad payment channels partnership adds to DigiPlus’ growing customer service network and player support, which already includes its in-house 24/7 customer support, 130+ physical BingoPlus stores nationwide and a surety bond for player wallets. These expanding service touchpoints reflect DigiPlus’ continued commitment to delivering digital entertainment with safe, reliable and accessible service for Filipinos.
The post DigiPlus Announces Partnership with Bayad appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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