The founder of Japanese online gaming firm Ganapati, recently detained by Taiwan police on gambling-related charges, faces up to three years in prison if prosecuted and convicted. Meanwhile, Ganapati CEO Julie Adelstein says Hayato Kinoshita is no longer associated with the company.
In a letter to Asia Gaming Brief, Adelstein wrote, “To clarify, Mr. Kinoshita originally founded the Ganapati Group. He has, however, not been involved directly in the management or operations of the company for some time now. One of the reasons for myself coming on as a board member and then eventually CEO of Ganapati PLC (now Ganapati Ltd.) was to allow Mr. Kinoshita to take a step away from the company, as the group moved away from its dependency on Asia. He is now based in Taiwan and is an employee of Gamatron Studios, as their executive game producer.”
CalvinAyre.com noted “striking similarities between Ganapati and Gamatron, starting with an overlap in games offered,” including Pacquiao One Punch K. It said some online casinos offered Ganapati games under the Gamatron license.
According to ABNippon.com, Taiwanese police raided the offices of Gamatron Studios in Taipei, detaining 31 people, including three Japanese nationals—Kinoshita and two female executives, one an office manager and the other an engineer.
Police told the local media that Kinoshita registered Gamatron Studios in January 2019 as a technology company, then began developing software for 45 gambling websites, receiving a 5 percent to 8 percent commission based on revenues. Kinoshita maintains his innocence.
Adelstein insists that Ganapati and Gamatron the two firms are entirely separate.
