How Does The Pachinko Industry Work?

Pachinko is a smoky, noisy and intriguing game in Japan that contributes hugely to the economy. The game looks like an average pinball machine, with metal balls smaller than ordinary pinballs. These balls are shot into the vertical playing field with the help of a knob.

When a ball enters the start hole, it triggers a drum just like the slot machine. The newer machines have video screens instead. Despite the government restrictions, Pachinko is well and alive. Since women are the head of the households in many families, there are widely organized Ladies Day events to attract the crowd.

The Most Well Know Pachinko Games

One of the most popular game is CR真・北斗無双, with millions of dollars in sales. Fist of the North Star, Aladdin, Onimusha, Neon Genesis Evangelion is some other popular names. The games have stories, character buildups and an extremely intriguing storyline, which makes them come back for more.

By TischbeinaheOwn work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

Is Pachinko Event Day Still Popular In Japan?

パチンコ イベント or the Pachinko event day is still popular in Japan despite growing regulations on the industry. These days, Pachinko parlors host special events and crank up the machines, so they pay out more than usual.

Although the Pachinko parlors are slowly losing their attraction due to the stigma attached to the industry, and players seek other avenues to play the highly popular game, they are not going out of limelight any time soon.

There are also CR machines that have been replacing the old Pachinko machines, and they have video animated screens instead of the physical drums. If the players hit the jackpot on any of these machines, they can make about 200,000 yen in a single day. It is not uncommon to hear players play tens of thousands of yens in an hour in a typical CR machine.

What Is Happening To Japanese Gamble Restriction?

In Japan, horse racing, boating and bicycling are some of the legitimate gambling avenues that are controlled by the government. The Pachinko is considered unregulated and a dirty business that the government tolerates, but does not regulate. This issue has made it commonplace for Koreans to own more of these parlors. The complaint Japanese people have against these shops is that the profits are sent to the North Korean Government from these shops, and therefore the suspicion of these shops is growing.

Police are very diligent to raid the parlors frequently. They do it to ensure that the people are not being cheated, but they are not that invested in protecting the players as much as protecting the government’s tax benefits from these shops.

The police make the shops accept cash from their customers instead of cards to better control the cash flow, which means the shop owners find ways to extract more profits from the players. Since these shops are not audited or regulated, this creates a dubious image of the industry.

Government organizations are increasingly listening to the complaints and nuisance generated from the shops, and there is a chance that in future Pachinko shops will become a thing of history.

Do Gamblers Have To Find Another Way To Have Fun Instead Of Playing Pachinko, Maybe An Online Casino?

The stigma, police raids, government suspicion and ties with the North Korean government has really sullied the image of the Pachinko industry in japan. But the game itself is highly interesting and players are looking for ways to get their fix without getting into trouble or going through illegal means.

Online casinos have become the biggest lifesaver in these times. Many online casinos have started carrying Pachinko games with fantastic video animations and similar character buildup as the original games.

Another plus point of these online casinos is that they are tied with some government authorities and get regularly audited on fair play. This means, there is no chance that players will get cheated playing on an online casino, whereas this is a commonplace activity in the pachinko parlors, and even the players are aware of that.