Gelonghui announced on November 25 that niraku (01245.HK) reported its interim results for the six months ending September 30, 2024, with revenue of 14.158 billion yen, an increase of 7.3% over the same period last year; the profit attributable to shareholders for the period was 0.451 billion yen, a decrease of 0.171 billion yen compared to the same period last year; the basic earnings per share was 0.38 yen; the board of directors has decided to declare an interim dividend of 0.09 yen per share for ordinary shares for the six months ending September 30, 2024 (for the six months ending September 30, 2023: 0.09 yen per share for ordinary shares).

Although the business performance during this period has returned to pre-pandemic levels, the Japanese pachinko machine market continues to shrink. The impact of geopolitical risks on commodity prices, along with high inflation rates, has affected consumer spending willingness and hindered business growth. Investing in new Japanese pachinko game halls and frequently updating gaming machines is the business strategy for the group to expand revenue and increase customer traffic in the game halls. Following the early machine replacements in the previous period, the group invested an additional 3,770 million yen to replace new machines in the six months ending September 30, 2024. In addition to complying with changes in gambling regulations, the group is also allocating more resources to install new machines with new model machines paired with popular animations, allowing game hall customers to fully enjoy the fun, thereby driving higher customer traffic. The group is committed to reducing costs and improving productivity through streamlining operational structures and deploying digital technology to maintain sustainable growth.