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Pachinko Slot Games Boom in Japan

Pachinko is a game deeply rooted in Japanese culture. Across the nation of Japan, people gather to divert themselves in pachinko parlors. Fans of online slot machines and casino gambling would be surprised to know that pachinko is a recognized permutation of the slot games that they love so much! Gambling is technically illegal in Japan, but Japanese gamblers have been very creative about finding ways to circumvent this prohibition. Pachinko games are the result of this effort to keep gambling, by playing in a way that is right on the edge of legality.

Imagine pachinko slot games as a vertical version of pinball. Playing a pinball game, you would try to aim a small ball around a course, propelling it with flippers and then manipulating the angle of the board to try and steer the moving object. In pachinko, the balls fall straight down. The vast majority are lost at the bottom of the game, but some (through careful player manipulation) manage to land in special holes. Landing a ball in these holes triggers a slot machine!

Just like with normal slot machines, a pachinko player wins if the three slots on the pachinko slot machine game line up. If they win, they receive the balls that were used in play. These balls can be exchanged for prizes at the gift shop of the pachinko establishment. Japanese players cannot gamble for cash, but the fact remains that these prizes may be exchanged for cash at a special station outside of the pachinko parlor.

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