Editor’s note: This article was written with PayMaya.

The pandemic got a lot of Filipinos into gaming. According to We Are Social’s 2021 report, 72.1% of Filipino internet users spend their time playing mobile games. This is higher than those using music apps (68.7%) and even much, much higher than those using dating apps (12.3%). 

With 4 in 5 Filipinos playing mobile or video games, the Philippines is now one of the fastest-growing mobile game markets in Southeast Asia based on a 2020 YouGov report. 

And Filipino gamers aren’t just spending time playing, they’re spending money on games, too. In 2019, 43 million Filipinos spent $572 million on mobile games according to a report published by games market insights and analytics firm Newzoo. 

So, with a mission to continue empowering the digital life of Filipinos – and now their gaming life – PayMaya introduced PlayMaya, a feature that brings the best of mobile games and digital payments under one experience. PayMaya said it is the first e-wallet in the country to offer an in-app gaming service to Filipinos.

PlayMaya is the e-wallet’s newest in-app offering that caters to the growing number of Filipinos who have taken interest in mobile games – elevating their gaming experience with exclusive content, cashless convenience, and cashback rewards.  

By simply clicking the Play button on the app’s homepage, users are not only able to pay for their gaming purchases using the e-wallet, they are also able to take advantage of exclusive rewards, gain access to over 290 gaming products, play engaging mini games, and consume curated gaming content and tournament livestreams – all within the PayMaya app. 

The in-app service was introduced last May 14 through a virtual launch hosted by streamer Carla Lizardo on the PayMaya Facebook Page. The launch also kicked off the PlayMaya nationwide tournament featuring PayMaya’s newest ambassador Cong TV, an avid PayMaya user.  

With the PlayMaya tournament, mobile gamers from all around the country battle it out to come out on top in some of the most popular mobile games today such as Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Call of Duty Mobile, and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) Mobile. 

A cash prize of P2 million awaits the tourney winners for each game, while those who won’t be lucky enough to bag this prize can still win a part of the over P4 million worth of gadgets and cash prizes from realme and Smart – bringing the tournament’s total prize pool to over P10 million.  

Interested participants have two ways to participate: by simply clicking the Play button on the PayMaya app and tapping register for the tournament or by heading to the nearest Smart Padala agent in their neighborhood, which serves as registration hubs for the PlayMaya tournament.  

By tapping on the extensive on-ground network of Smart Padala by PayMaya with over 39,000 partner agents present in 92% of all cities and municipalities, the PlayMaya tournament is bringing gaming experience powered by cashless payments closer to Filipino gamers even in the farthest reaches of the country. 

“PayMaya has always enabled the digital lifestyle of Filipinos through our fintech innovations,” said Heidi Garayblas, Head of Growth Marketing Partnerships for PayMaya Philippines. 

“Earlier this year, we elevated the shopping experience of our customers with the PayMaya Mall. Now, millions of PayMaya users can gain instant access to an awesome, all-in-one gaming experience – filled with exclusive rewards, engaging games, and exciting content – just by pressing ‘Play’ on their PayMaya app.” 

With PlayMaya, PayMaya has upped the e-wallet experience for Filipinos. Now users can conveniently indulge in gaming on top of convenient cashless offers like money and bank transfers, bills payment, shopping, mobile and internet load purchases, plus food, travel, and government services, and more. 

Don’t have PayMaya on your phone yet? You may download it on Google Play or Apple App Store. – Rappler.com