Dynam: Pachinko machines pending gov’t approval

Hong Kong-listed pachinko hall operator Dynam Japan Holdings Ltd. said on Friday that the company was still waiting for the green light from the Macau government regarding introducing what the firm referred to as its ‘next generation’ pachinko machines and slot machines to Macau, Hong Kong’s Chinese-language financial wires report. If the introduction of the machines is successful, it could also help casinos in Macau expand their mass market segment, Dynam Japan’s chairman and executive director Yoji Sato was quoted as saying at a press briefing on Friday for his company’s financial results. Dynam Japan initially announced in 2013 that it hoped to operate a pachinko hall in casino and hotel operator Macau Legend Development Ltd.’s Macau Fisherman’s Wharf starting in 2014 – but the plan has yet to be realised. At the Friday briefing, the management of Dynam Japan acknowledged that its memorandum of understanding with Macau Legend about possible collaboration on gaming operations has lapsed, although the company could still co-operate closely with Macau Legend in future. When asked whether Dynam Japan would develop any further gaming business in Macau, Mr. Sato replied that his company would primarily focus on Japan’s gaming market. The deliberation on the bill regarding the legalisation of casino gaming by Japan’s parliament will take place by end-August as the Japanese Government is now engaged in talks on national security issues with legislators, Mr. Sato noted. He believes that the bill has a “60 per cent” chance of being passed. S.L.