A Look At Japan's Pachinko Gambling Industry

It is no secret that the Japanese enjoy the excitement and fun of gambling on a wide array of games.

One of the most popular, if not the most popular gambling game in Japan today is the traditional game of pachinko.

In this article, we will take a look at Japan’s pachinko gambling industry, studying just how much the business is worth as well as the many ways in which it functions.

So, without further ado, let’s take a look at Japan’s pachinko gambling industry.

What is pachinko?

Basically, pachinko is a type of mechanical game played in Japan that can be played both recreationally and as a type of gambling. Like this, pachinko is to Japanese gambling what the slot machine is to the West.

How is pachinko played?

Pachinko is enjoyed in special parlours all over Japan, which are created exactly for this reason. Basically, the game works like pinball yet with an additional element of gambling thrown in. Some Japanese online casinos offer online versions and you can find out more about online casino rankings at lennus.com.

To play pachinko, players insert a ball into the game before pulling a handle. The spring in then pushes the ball into the gaming zone and it falls across the playing area, which is filled with obstacles. The result is then determined by where the ball ends up.

The key element is the playing field, has a range of obstacles such as pins that serve to make things exciting. The ball bounces off these obstacles before falling in a cup at the end. If the ball drops into a special catcher prior to hitting the end of the course, you will receive a payout.

There are also flippers included in many pachinko machines, familiar to westerners due to their ubiquitous presence in pinball machines. The main difference here though is that the flippers in pachinko machines are automated, unlike the manual ones used in western pinball. This makes it even harder to beat the course and land the ball in the catcher! So it really is all about timing. Speaking of which...

Essentially, you learn to get better at pachinko by timing the launch of each ball so that it lands perfectly in the catcher, triggering a payout!

How much is the pachinko industry worth?

Pachinko parlours are allowed to work by remaining in a kind of legal grey area, which manages to skirt Japanese laws around gaming for money by using a token system.

In fact, it is thought that the yearly pachinko industry in Japan could be worth up to $900 billion USD.

Are there any pachinko alternatives?

All over Japan, Western-style slot games are enjoying a huge boost in popularity as players seek to bring the classic gaming of the pachinko parlour online. With more online slot sites sprouting up to serve this Japanese love of gaming, the future for slot sites in the Land of the Rising Sun appears to be extremely bright!