• Number of Pachinko Parlor Operators: 3,244; Number of Parlors: 10,258; as of End of December 2017

The number of pachinko parlor operators was 3,244, as of end of December 2017, a decline by 177 companies during the period between the ends of 2016 and 2017.  The number of company groups, consolidated by the capital or the same management, became 2,460, down by 150 groups. With the number of pachinko parlors operated by those 3,244 companies decreased to 10,258, down by 420 parlors since the end of 2016, the parlors together with the operators continue diminishing.

• Number of Pachinko Parlors Newly Opened by 3,244 Operators in 2017: 162

The number of new pachinko parlors opened by 3,244 operators in 2017 was 162, a decline by 9 parlors from the previous year. For the past several years, the number of newly opened parlors has already been levelling off or on the decline slightly, but in 2016 and 2017, the number has deteriorated to become less than 200 for these two consecutive years.

The characteristics of the recent market trend can be seen in increase of newly opened parlors through M&A.  Because the pachinko business environment is likely to become even severer, the number of M&A cases among pachinko parlor business is likely to increase further more. 

• Number of Gaming Machines Continue Declining, With 4,400 Thousand Machines as of Year End of 2017

The number of gaming machines nationwide declined to 4,400 thousand as of end of December 2017, down by 2.1%, or by almost 100 thousand machines.  The number of pachinko machines has declined by 3.4% on Y-o-Y basis to 2,720 thousand machines, the number of pachi-slot machines decreased by 0.1% to 1,680 thousand machines.  It means that the numbers of pachinko parlor operators, pachinko parlors, gaming machines, and newly-opened parlors are all on the decline.

• Figure 1: Transition of Number of Pachinko Parlor Operators

• Figure 2: Transition of Number of Pachinko Parlors

• Figure 3: Transition of Number of Gaming Machines