Inside Asian Gaming

IAG NOV 2022年11月 亞博匯 98 26-50 REPRESENTATIVE DIRECTOR AND PRESIDENT Universal Entertainment Corp 代表董事及總裁 環球娛樂 CLAIMS TO FAME 名成事跡 POWER SCORE 權能指數: 683 POSITION LAST YEAR 去年排名: 37 Heads only Japanese company to operate its own integrated resort Deposed Universal’s founder, Kazuo Okada, in 2017 執掌唯一一家自己經營綜合度假村的日本企業 2017年罷免了環球娛樂的創始人岡田和生 JUN FUJIMOTO 32 富士本淳 HAVING ASSUMED control of Japanese gaming giant Universal Entertainment Corp following the ousting of company founder Kazuo Okada in 2017, Jun Fujimoto saw his old foe resume hostilities this year in a battle for Philippines integrated resort Okada Manila. In May, a group representing Mr Okada stormed the property and seized control on the pretense of a court order demanding the board of Universal subsidiary Tiger Resort, Leisure and Entertainment Inc (TRLEI), which operates Okada Manila, be restored to its 2017 line-up. The Okada occupation lasted three months, before Philippines gaming regulator PAGCOR intervened – paving the way for the Universal backed board to forcibly reclaim control by means starkly similar to those through which they had lost it. While Mr Okada has vowed to continue his fight, for now at least there seems to be some stability returning, with Okada Manila now fully operational for the first time since its December 2016 launch and the Philippines gaming market booming once again. Next on the agenda is a US NASDAQ listing. TRLEI’s SPAC merger with Miami-based 26 Capital Acquisition Corp was also delayed due to Mr Okada’s intervention, but preparations have since resumed in a deal that would see the IR’s valuation soar. Meanwhile, Universal maintains its place as one of Japan’s largest pachinko suppliers, but questions remainover that industry’s long-term viability amid regulatory and generational change. 在驅逐 公司創始人岡田和生之後，富士本淳於2017年接管了日本博彩巨頭 環球娛樂公司。但今年在有關菲律賓綜合度假村岡田馬尼拉的爭奪戰，富 士目睹了宿敵的捲土重來。 5月，岡田和生派系衝入岡田馬尼拉，以法院令為藉口，要求環球娛 樂旗下經營岡田馬尼拉的子公司Tiger Resort, Leisure and Entertain- ment Inc (TRLEI) 恢復2017年的董事會，並奪取了公司控制權。 對於該處物業的佔領持續了三個月，直至菲律賓博彩監管機構PAG- COR的介入。隨後環球支持的董事會使用岡田派系同樣的手法收回了對該 處物業的控制權。 儘管岡田和生誓言繼續鬥爭，但至少目前看來，情況似乎恢復了穩 定。隨著岡田馬尼拉自2016年12月開幕以來首次全面投入營運，菲律賓的 博彩市場再度蓬勃發展。 下一步的議程即是在美國納斯達克上市。由於岡田和生上述干 預，TRLEI那總部位於邁阿密的26 Capital Acquisition Corp的SPAC合併 也遭到推遲。但此後的準備工作已經恢復，而該交易將令IR的估值飆升。 與此同時，環球仍然是日本最大的彈珠機供應商之一。但出於監管及 世代交替方面的考慮，行業能否長期生存仍然存疑。