Japanese pachinko hall operator Dynam Japan has revealed a change in deemed interests of the controlling Sato family after one of those family members, Shigehiro Sato, reported a gift of 6 million shares in the company to his children.
According to a filing, the gift to his children – all aged above 18 – has resulted in a change in deemed interests of the family members from 56.51% to 55.65%.
The family members in question are company founder Yoji Sato plus Kohei Sato, Keiko Sato, Shigehiro Sato and Masahiro Sato. All are considered controlling shareholders due to a family agreement under which they all act in concert. Only board members Yoji and Kohei are actively involved in the management of the group.
Dynam has in recent years spoken at length about reducing the number of pachinko halls it operates across Japan, with the figure having most recently fallen to 423. The company has stated that it is strategically targeting small business areas with between 30,000 and 50,000 residents in which to operate halls and is standardizes the interior layout and installation number of gaming machines of the halls, allowing the Group to cut down initial investment costs and period of construction.
Dynam has explained that it sees the future of pachinko as a sustainable entertainment product whereby the amount of time and money spent playing is maintained at “acceptable levels”.
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