BingoPlus celebrates 3 years of providing entertainment that uplifts communities

BINGOPLUS — one of the Philippines' premier online, electronic gaming platforms — celebrated its third anniversary at the Marriott Grand Ballroom on March 27, marking three years of serving quality entertainment to Filipinos while helping to uplift communities.

The main highlight of the event included a star-studded and stellar performance from Vice Ganda, Angeline Quinto and Parokya ni Edgar, among others.

Adding to the night's fun, BingoPlus gave out various prizes throughout the event. Two individuals won brand-new cars while the reward for the lucky spin rose from P300 million to P501 million — BingoPlus' biggest prize given yet.

Ending the night on a more generous note, BingoPlus announced that it was donating P150 million to the BingoPlus Foundation that will be used for the organization's humanitarian projects.

Esteemed artists and guests graced the grand gala, which included Binibining Pilipinas Miss Grand International 2016 Nicole Cordoves, actor Empoy Marquez, radio personality Samir Gogna or "Sam YG," singer and actress Zephanie Dimaranan, and actor and BingoPlus brand endorser Piolo Pascual.

Special guests included Stephen Speaks, most popularly known for his iconic song, "Passenger Seat," and Miss Universe 2024 Victoria Kjaer Theilvig of Denmark.

Three years of cheers

At the press conference, AB Leisure Exponent Inc. President Rafael Jasper Vicencio thanked the entire BingoPlus team, the BingoPlus players and the media partners for contributing to the growth of the company. He added that this anniversary celebration was the biggest one yet.

"The aim of the company is really to give back. The more we give back to the community, the more we give back to our players. I think that this is one of the reasons why BingoPlus continues to grow," he said.

One of BingoPlus' main challenges was building its brand, which it considered as one of its major milestones. Back then, cost was not the primary concern of the company but to create a brand that the Filipinos would love.

Now that BingoPlus has reached new heights, it expanded its operations toward uplifting communities through the BingoPlus Foundation. The foundation had four main pillars: FutureSmart for students, particularly in the information technology sector; KalusuganPlus and KabuhayanPlus for downline communities with medical missions and kits, for individuals who were seeking livelihood and for small businesses; disaster resiliency programs for the victims of natural calamities; and Game Smart for educating players.

"We always tell our players that we don't want them to spend their last money on these games. You always use your excess money," Vicencio said.

To support this, BingoPlus hired financial gurus for the big winners, ensuring that they spent their money wisely.

Vicencio also stressed the importance of playing for fun and not just to win because people were not just happy because they won; they also won when they were simply happy.

"All of the winners that I talked to — those who were awarded P20 million, P50 million, P200 million and above — they always say that, 'Sir, we were happy playing the game.' That was always their advice to other players," Vicencio said.

It was this mindset that convinced Pascual to be BingoPlus' brand ambassador and represent something that had meaning. He hoped to see more lives being uplifted and more people having fun through the efforts of the company.

"As an endorser, you also have to believe in what you're endorsing. It's also nice to represent something that has [corporate social responsibility about] which [I was informed]," Pascual said.

BingoPlus' select ambassadors also echoed the sentiment about responsible gaming.

"I guess the bottom line is [that] if you work hard for the money, you don't want to risk it. You want to play responsibly, and here comes your discipline. So, if you know how to play [and] if you know your limit, then that's it," Pascual said.

"I believe that online gaming has, of course, its positive side, but it also has a negative side. As long as you play responsibly, that's the way to do it," Theilvig said.

"It's really in moderation," Cordoves said. "Don't spend money that you do not have yet. Never hide it from your friends and parents [in order that] it doesn't become an addiction in itself and there are people who can monitor you."

"[Everything] should be in moderation. Find the balance between being able to enjoy; not abuse," Gogna said.

A star-studded night

In a separate press conference, Theilvig expressed her excitement about being invited to the event and having the opportunity to know the company more, saying: "I feel extremely honored being here today and celebrating [BingoPlus'] third anniversary. Building such a successful company in only three years is [very] impressive. All the work [BingoPlus does], for building a better future and helping where [it can, aligns] well with me and my values as Miss Universe; so, I'm super excited that we can uplift the communities together."

Cordoves also expressed her excitement in being a host of BingoPlus. She also thanked the company for showing support to Filipino cultural activities such as pageantry. When asked what she would do if she won big in a Bingo game, Cordoves said she would use it to establish schools and retirement homes as part of her advocacy.

On the other hand, Speaks looked forward to meeting local artists at the big event. He described himself as "lucky" to have been invited to BingoPlus' anniversary celebration and to have experienced Filipino culture.

Marquez looked forward to spreading good vibes at BingoPlus' "Purple Carpet" as a host. For Dimaranan, the celebration was her second time being invited to perform for BingoPlus, which she also considered as her surrogate family.

With this being his first invitation to a BingoPlus event, Quiroz prepared a delightful performance for the celebration. At a separate press conference, Quiroz said BingoPlus gave hope to a lot of people with its generous prizes.

For Gogna, the celebration was more than just about BingoPlus' three years in operation but also its community initiatives and the dedication of the people behind the company. The celebration was also his first time to host an event of this scale with massive prizes being awarded.