Dynam posts revenue of US$818m for fiscal year 2021

The Japanese pachinko hall operator reported a 6.6 per cent increase in revenue year-on-year but isn’t getting overly optimistic.

Japan.- Dynam Japan Holdings, one of Japan’s largest pachinko hall operators, has reported revenue of Y105.1bn (US$818m) for the year ending March 31. That’s an increase of 6.6 per cent year-on-year. Net profit amounted to JPY4.9bn.

Dynam currently operates 433 pachinko halls, nine fewer than the number reported in May last year. The company said business improved in 2021 after authorities eased Covid-19 countermeasures but did not reach pre-pandemic levels.

The company stated: “The group can’t be optimistic about the business surroundings in the future, as there remain concerns about the continued spread of infection caused by new variants of coronavirus.”

It added: “In consideration of the above, the group believes that revenue from pachinko business will arrive at the similar level of the fiscal year ended, 31 March 2020 (before the spread of the coronavirus infection) over a few years.”

Pachinko games maintained their high popularity well into the 21st century by incorporating new models with more electronic features, but interest has been declining due to the development of online games. In 2020, the number of active pachinko halls in Japan fell by 584 to 8,302, a 7 per cent decrease year-on-year.

The trend for young people to play mobile games instead of going to a pachinko parlour has been accentuated during increased confinement due to the Covid-19 pandemic.