Pachinko Japan

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Just for fun I thought I'd tell you a little bit about pachinko in Japan. Technically, gambling is not legal in Japan. Regardless, in most regions of Tokyo you can find pachinko parlors with hoards of Japanese businessmen in suits endlessly putting in chips to the pachinko slots or betting on sports. The casino parlors are usually run or backed by Yakuza. I tried it out once and didn't win anything, but if I had, you cash out for a voucher and then you have to go to a second, separate location to claim your winnings.
This is pachinko as I understood it in Japan, so if there are any inconsistencies please feel free to chime in.
 
The NetEnt slot 'Cosmic Fortune' was based on the Pachinko concept!

When you reach the bonus round a little machine spits out a number of small silver balls, each either falling off the screen or into a 'prize pot'. That was the first time I ever heard of the game Pachinko, looks like fun :)

cosmispachinko.jpg

pachinko.jpg

Pachinko-Parlour.jpg
 
I gave these things a shot when I visited Japan last year. Biggest thing to note is that these machines have abhorrent payouts, the most common RTP I saw being around 77% on more or less every pachinko slot. Although there is a bit of a skill element to it, suppose experienced players can use that to get a better return. Gameplay itself is fast-paced, flashy and loud. You're basically aiming to get these small balls inside a hole on the pachinko machine to make the reels spin on a little LCD-screen within the machine. Imagine that, having to spend money to get a chance to play the game itself!

There are also some joints where the credits/balls you get as winnings can only be used to play more games, you're unable to exchange these for prizes or money (these are called medal games, which span more types of games than just standard pachinko). Yet people still play those like crazy. :confused:

It's a fun experience, and if you're into gambling it's certainly worth a try, but I'd recommend sticking to online slots. :)
 
Yep, that looks just like the place I visited, but it was night time and a lot of the men were wearing suits

The NetEnt slot 'Cosmic Fortune' was based on the Pachinko concept!

When you reach the bonus round a little machine spits out a number of small silver balls, each either falling off the screen or into a 'prize pot'. That was the first time I ever heard of the game Pachinko, looks like fun :)
 
Thanks for sharing! I completely agree with you. I couldn't believe there were people around me with buckets of those balls. I liked the physicality of it, though, I'm very tactile.


I gave these things a shot when I visited Japan last year. Biggest thing to note is that these machines have abhorrent payouts, the most common RTP I saw being around 77% on more or less every pachinko slot. Although there is a bit of a skill element to it, suppose experienced players can use that to get a better return. Gameplay itself is fast-paced, flashy and loud. You're basically aiming to get these small balls inside a hole on the pachinko machine to make the reels spin on a little LCD-screen within the machine. Imagine that, having to spend money to get a chance to play the game itself!

There are also some joints where the credits/balls you get as winnings can only be used to play more games, you're unable to exchange these for prizes or money (these are called medal games, which span more types of games than just standard pachinko). Yet people still play those like crazy. :confused:

It's a fun experience, and if you're into gambling it's certainly worth a try, but I'd recommend sticking to online slots. :)
 

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