Manila’s LaVie Resort Builds Its Own Online Casino Platform
While most UK casino news this week has been about studios adding features to existing products, one Asian resort group has taken the more unusual route of building its own online casino from scratch. International Entertainment Corporation (IEC), the Hong Kong-listed owner of LaVie Resort & Casino in Manila, is preparing to switch on a self-run digital platform that streams directly from its physical floor, rather than leasing someone else’s technology.
What’s been released
IEC will in the coming month launch its own self-run online gaming platform at the group’s Manila integrated resort, offering remote gaming, online RNG gaming and sports betting to domestic customers in the Philippines.
IEC said the new platform will commence operations in mid-to-late November 2026.
The platform will carry the LaVie Resort & Casino Manila name and will be open only to legally eligible registered players in the Philippines.
The new platform is described as the company’s Phase Two Online Gaming business, following the launch earlier this year of Phase One, a partnership with Philippine online gaming leader DigiPlus Interactive Corp.
This second phase will see the group operate its online gaming business exclusively, a model that differs from the first phase’s cooperation with other Philippine online gaming operators.
IEC’s Phase Two business will see the group itself develop, control, operate, manage and maintain the relevant gaming software systems, games, technologies and online gaming platform.
The platform is still being integrated and remains subject to final testing before commercial launch.
What’s changed
The offerings will include remote play of physical table games and slot machines located within a designated area at LaVie Resort & Casino in Malate, Metro Manila.
Live baccarat will be streamed from the resort itself for Philippine players only.
The broader digital offering will also include RNG-based electronic games, electronic table games, arcade or specialty games, electronic bingo and online poker.
There are strict limits on how much of the resort’s gaming floor can feed the online product.
The filing outlines restrictions on remote casino operations, meaning online access cannot exceed 25 percent of the approved maximum number of gaming tables, slot machines or electronic table games unless the regulator approves a different percentage.
That cap keeps the online channel tied firmly to what’s physically happening on the casino floor, rather than letting it grow into a separate, unlimited operation.
Where it fits
For UK players used to live tables beamed from purpose-built studios run by the likes of Evolution or Light & Wonder, the appeal of streaming straight from a working resort floor will feel familiar, even if the regulatory model here is entirely different.
The move makes LaVie one of only two Philippine land-based casinos building an online arm internally, with the other being Solaire, while several other Manila resorts went online using a third-party platform provider instead.
That split between owning the technology outright and leasing it from a specialist supplier mirrors a tension UK operators know well, where brands weigh the control of proprietary systems against the speed and content depth that established suppliers bring.
LaVie’s approach also reflects a broader pattern of land-based resorts treating their physical floors as content sources for digital audiences, rather than running the two channels entirely apart. Whether that in-house model proves faster or more flexible than partnering with an established platform operator should become clearer once the service goes live and UK-facing suppliers watching the regulated Asian market get a look at how it performs in practice.
Sources
- Asia Gaming Brief – IEC to launch self-run LaVie online casino platform in Manila in November
- AsGam – Manila’s LaVie Resort & Casino to launch self-run iGaming platform offering remote gaming, online casino games and sports betting
- ASEAN Gaming – LaVie plans November launch of self-operated Philippine online gaming platform
