Inside Asian Gaming

IAG NOV 2020年11月 亞博匯 80 2020 POWER 50 HAN CHANG-WOO CHAIRMAN AND CEO Maruhan Group 韓昌祐 主席兼行政總裁 丸韓股份 19 POWER SCORE 權能指數 : 1,148 POSITION LAST YEAR 去年排名 : 25 CLAIMS TO FAME 名成事跡 Founded Maruhan in 1957 and still running it at age 89 Japan’s largest pachinko operator in revenue terms • • • • 1957年創辦丸韓，年屆89歲高齡仍在掌舵集團 丸韓是日本收入最高的彈球機運營商 EVEN WITH COVID-19 PUTTING THE BRAKES on Japan’s plans to develop its first integrated resorts, the future remains rather uncertain for the nation’s once prolific pachinko industry. From a peak of 18,000 parlors in 1995 – when the number of active players was estimated at 30 million – 2019 figures from Japan’s National Police Agency place the number of parlors at 9,638, down from 10,060 a year earlier, and machines at just under 4.2 million, down from 4.3 million in 2018. Active players are said to be below 10 million. For operators like Japan’s clear No.1, Maruhan, the key to a prosperous future may well be outlasting its smaller rivals and taking as much market share as it can muster. Still, even before COVID-19 forced parlors Japan-wide to close this year, Maruhan was watching its sales slide, down from JPY1.55 trillion in fiscal 2019 to JPY1.51 trillion in FY20. Impressively, the company’s founder, 89-year-old Han Chang- woo, continues to power along, ably supported by his son and Maruhan COO Yu Han. Founded in 1958, Maruhan reached 100 parlors in 2002, passed 200 parlors in 2006 and 300 in 2014. Its parlors – often larger and more inviting than those offered by smaller rivals – include dining and other entertainment at some suburban locations, but diversification into banking in Cambodia and Myanmar have proven better bets. 儘管新冠疫情阻礙了 日本發展其首個綜合度假村的計劃，但對於日本一度繁 榮的彈珠機產業而言，未來仍然充滿了不確定性。 日本彈珠機遊戲館於1995年達到高峰，數目為1.8萬間，活躍玩家人數高 達3000萬。而到了2019年，據日本警察廳公佈的數據，彈珠機遊戲館的數量已 經從前一年的10060間下跌到9,638家。而彈珠機的數量也從2018年的430萬 台下降至420萬台以下，據訊活躍玩家已經不到1000萬。 對於像丸韓這日本第一營運商而言，其未來繼續保持繁榮的關鍵很可能 是要比規模較小的競爭對手堅持更久，並盡可能多地佔據市場份額。不過，即 使是在因新冠疫情導致全日本彈珠機館關閉之前，丸韓收入仍在持續下滑，從 2019財年的1.55萬億日元降至2020財年的1.51萬億日元。 此外，令人印象深刻的無疑是該公司創始人、現年89歲的韓昌祐在其 子、集團營運總監韓裕的支持下，繼續掌舵集團發展。 丸韓於1958年創辦，其彈珠機遊戲館數目於2002年達100間，於2006年 突破200間，2014年更發展至300間。丸韓的遊戲館不僅比競爭對手大、更吸引 人，並且會在部分位於郊區的遊戲館設有餐飲和其他娛樂設施。但事實證明， 其向柬埔寨和緬甸投資的銀行業務才是多元化的更好之選。