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PAGCOR celebrates proud achievements for the past 40 years
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) proudly looked back on its past achievements when it celebrated its 40th year at the Marriott Hotel Manila on July 11, 2023.
PAGCOR commemorated its four decades of existence by featuring its accomplishments, particularly its huge contributions to nation building. The agency was created in 1983 by virtue of Presidential Decree 1869, also known as the PAGCOR Charter, issued by then President Ferdinand Marcos.
No less than President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos, Jr. graced the event, which proudly highlighted PAGCOR’s successful role as one of the national government’s biggest revenue generator and a reliable partner in the promotion of various endeavors that benefit the Filipino people.
PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro H. Tengco remarked that for 40 years, the agency’s recorded total Contributions to Nation Building (CNB) amounted to around P607 billion, while its total dividends remittances since 2011 is now at P64 billion. This brings PAGCOR’s actual total contributions to P671 billion.
Chairman Tengco emphasized that after one year under the administration of President Marcos (from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023), PAGCOR’s total CNB amounted to P45 billion, which, by the end of the year, is projected to reach P70 billion.
The PAGCOR chief likewise announced that the agency has been tapped as a funding source of the Universal Health Care Act when it was passed into law in 2019. Under said law, 50 percent of its remittances to the National Treasury has been allocated to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to fund the Universal Health Care (UHC) of the Filipino people.
In terms of its recent contributions to infrastructure, PAGCOR partnered with Melco Resorts (Philippines) Foundation Corporation (MRPFC) – the charitable arm of the City of Dreams Manila in funding the construction and purchase of medical and non-medical equipment for the 51-bed and state-of-the-art Presidential Security Group (PSG) Station Hospital.
The state-run-gaming and regulatory firm, in partnership with the Bloomberry Foundation, also helped establish the OFW Hospital in Pampanga and donated P300 million worth of medical equipment to the said medical facility. PAGCOR also funded the rehabilitation of sports facilities utilized for the 30th Southeast Asian Games by donating P842.5 million to the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC). The agency likewise donated P350 million to the Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao City for the procurement of various medical equipment.
Under the current administration, Chairman Tengco shared that PAGCOR will be channeling its resources to the promotion of education and health in the country. The agency will re-launch its School Building Project to help address classroom shortage in public schools nationwide. It will also build e-Libraries to provide learners from remote or depressed communities with an environment that is conducive for e-learning and online research.
Also in the pipeline are Socio-civic Centers and Community Wellness Centers to be built in different parts of the country. The agency will likewise be launching the “Bawat Buhay Mahalaga Serbisyo Caravan” – an all-encompassing endeavor focused on the distribution of educational, medical and financial assistance, among others, to various local government units and their citizens.
The agency will likewise be donating 250 units of Patient Transport Vehicles (PTV) to various local government units, in coordination with the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).
PAGCOR will also lead the establishment of the Clark Multi-Specialty Medical Center in Clark, Pampanga to cater to the medical needs of patients from Regions I, II, III and Metro Manila. It will consist, among others, of a heart center, kidney/cancer center and a children’s hospital. This project is intended to alleviate the plight of the Filipinos by bringing quality healthcare closer to people living outside Metro Manila.
The PAGCOR chief added that the agency’s significant socio-civic programs would not have been possible if not for the committed employees who have served as the agency’s strong pillars through the four decades.
Meanwhile, serving as the highlight of the event was the launch of the new logo, which represents the agency’s re-energized role as the main gaming regulator in the Philippines.
“The new PAGCOR logo incorporates the element of fire associated with energy, inspiration, passion, and transformation. It symbolizes the flame that ignites change and drives progress. The logo likewise reflects a beacon which symbolizes guidance, leadership, and direction. It represents a guiding light that helps people find their way,” Tengco added.
“All these taken together, our new logo reflects PAGCOR’s long standing commitment of being a guiding force that illuminates the way forward, drives transformation and development, and brings inspiration and motivation to the lives it touches,” Chairman Tengco furthered.
Eastern Europe
Totogaming Joins Cernica Pantelimon RunFest: Not Just Present, But Fully Participating
“We weren’t just present — we were participants of Runfest. And that’s one of the most important aspects,” said Artak Ashkhatoyan, Deputy CEO of Totogaming.
On July 6, Totogaming joined the Cernica Pantelimon Runfest in Romania, once again emphasizing the importance of promoting amateur sports and a healthy lifestyle.
“Supporting such initiatives is a priority for TotoGaming. First, 50% of the proceeds from RunFest will be donated to the CLOVES Romania Foundation, supporting children affected by CLOVES Syndrome. And second, we’ve always believed in showing our passion for sports through actions, not just words. Have you noticed how we’re constantly rushing through life, yet when we look back, it often feels like we haven’t moved at all? It’s important for us to lead by example and show the importance of participation. This is exactly the message we’re promoting through our team’s active involvement in the marathon. After all, there can never be too much sport in our lives,” said TotoGaming’s Deputy CEO, Artak Ashkhatoyan.
A Simple Concept, a Powerful Impact
The concept of this sports event is straightforward: choose a distance between 1 to 21 kilometers and run. The goal? Make sport an integral part of everyday life. The crowd certainly embraced that, gathering as early as 8:30 a.m. — on a Sunday morning.
Totogaming contributed in two distinct capacities: as an official sponsor and as an active participant. A dedicated team of 13 employees represented the company at the Cernica Pantelimon RunFest, with 7 of them proudly taking part as runners.
More Than Just a Run
It wasn’t an easy challenge — especially because among Totogaming’s runners were people for whom running isn’t a daily habit, or even part of their life at all. Yet they couldn’t miss the opportunity, not least from the perspective of corporate responsibility.
“We just finished the 7.5-kilometer race!” shared Petrut-Adrian Toea from the Totogaming team.
“It was amazing, honestly. Around the 2-kilometer mark, I had this little battle with myself — I told myself I had to finish the race, no matter what. And I did it! I came in around 60th place out of over 100 runners, which for me is a really good result.”
“I see my participation as a small contribution toward promoting a healthy lifestyle. In my close circle, everyone knows I’m not exactly the sporty type. I’m not athletic, and I usually prefer having fun in other ways. But showing up here, early in the morning, in this intense heat, and completing almost 8 kilometers with just one short break — I think it set a good example.”
“I hope seeing someone like me finish this challenge motivates my friends to try something similar for their own health. I believe that’s a meaningful contribution”, – added Petrut-Andrea.
Totogaming also made it possible for every attendee to bring sport into their lives — quite literally. At the Totogaming tent, participants could ride stationary bikes and receive prizes based on the number of points they earned through their efforts.
Whether they were running, cycling, or simply cheering for friends, the goal for everyone was the same: to reach the destination of champions — by bringing sport into everyday life.
The post Totogaming Joins Cernica Pantelimon RunFest: Not Just Present, But Fully Participating appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
BMM Testlabs, the world’s original gaming test lab renowned for exceptional product compliance and certification services, today announced the promotion of Sacha McLaughlin to Vice President of Global Quality Assurance.
BMM’s President of Land-Based Gaming & Inspections, Kirk White, said, “Sacha has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership, operational excellence, and a customer-first attitude. Her experience and passion will be critical as we continue to grow our QA services to meet the always-evolving needs of the global gaming industry.”
With over 18 years of experience in software implementation and seven years in the gaming industry, McLaughlin brings extensive knowledge of both agile and waterfall development methodologies, test planning, project management, and cross-regional team leadership. She is recognized for her ability to build and scale QA organizations that deliver quality, speed, and value to customers.
McLaughlin joined BMM in 2018 and has held roles of increasing responsibility within the Company, most recently serving as Senior Director of Quality Assurance. Throughout her tenure, she has been instrumental in expanding BMM’s QA capabilities and helping customers launch products into the global gaming market more quickly, with a focus on regulatory compliance, functionality, fairness, and security.
The post BMM TESTLABS PROMOTES SACHA MCLAUGHLIN TO VICE PRESIDENT OF GLOBAL QUALITY ASSURANCE appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
Major findings from the newly launched report include playable ads having the potential to deliver impression-to-install rates 16 times that of non-playable formats for emerging gaming apps and a 20% increase in spending on interactive ads year over year.
Liftoff, a leading AI-enabled growth platform for the mobile app economy, has published its seventh annual Mobile Ad Creative Index. The report explores top creative trends that are attracting and scaling in ad spend across consumer apps and games. It also highlights the expanding role of AI in creative production, testing, and optimization.
This year’s Mobile Ad Creative Index specifically analyzes creative concepts that have excelled in scale for Liftoff’s highest-spending advertisers over the past 12 to 48 months. It is based on findings from over 4.7 trillion impressions, 263 billion clicks, and 1.1 billion installs between 1 January 2023 and 31 May 2025.
Highlights from the report include:
Top consumer apps are investing in interactive ads to compete for engagement
In 2024, the share of spend on interactive ads for top apps increased by 20% year over year. The share of spend increased by 2% for spenders outside the top tier. Top-spending apps differentiate their campaigns by adding innovations to evergreen concepts such as social scrollers, carousels, and scratch-offs.
Playable ads deliver returns across ad budgets for mobile game advertisers
In 2024, the share of spend on playable ads for top games averaged 35% higher than other games. Across all ad budgets, however, playable ads delivered higher conversion rates. Impression-to-install rates were 8 times that of non-playable formats for top spenders and 16 times that of non-playable formats for other game advertisers.
Tailoring “metaplay” elements to motivations can improve performance
“Metaplay” elements—gameplay that diverges from an app’s core design to appeal to a broader audience—are widespread, but top games gain an edge by tailoring their metaplay ads to the publisher audience. The report found that aligning “metaplay” creative with publisher audiences resulted in a 93% increase in installs-per-mille.
UGC is becoming a key differentiator in driving scale for consumer apps
The share of spend on user-generated content (UGC) increased 11% for top-spending apps, with social and utility apps seeing the most significant jump of nearly 30% between 2023 and 2024.
Widespread adoption of Gen AI leads to more customized ad experiences
Creative teams increasingly leverage AI to enhance top-performing assets with 3D and motion and to create and test variations. Top advertisers also use AI to recombine their assets in customized ad experiences that break away from standard video to playable formats.
Yann Zeller, Chief of Staff, Creative at Liftoff, said: “Today’s creative landscape is shaped by a single, powerful truth: attention is the commodity, and brands, games, and influencers are all vying for it. Great mobile ad experiences can earn attention by aligning context with behavior. As ad formats become richer and AI expands our ability to personalize and adapt creatives at scale, we’re able to unlock new insights into user behavior and motivation. We see users spend meaningful stretches with the right content, sometimes 60 to 90 seconds when the ad feels personal or prompts meaningful participation. This isn’t just a better way to advertise—it’s a better way to tell stories and the most exciting brief we’ve had in years.”
Soren Steelquist, Director of Creative Production, said: “The proof is in the data—more and more consumer apps are incorporating UGC into every stage of their marketing, and programmatic is no different. UGC works because it’s authentic and relatable, and users are more likely to be influenced by ad when it’s coming from a trustworthy source. To see higher impact from UGC creatives, work with a partner that can match the right creator with your brand and develop winning concepts that resonate with audiences.”
The post Liftoff’s 2025 Mobile Ad Creative Index Reveals UGC Is a Key Differentiator for Top Apps appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
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