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How To Play Pachinko Online

Pachinko machines are loved by people worldwide, and this popular Japanese game has been played for decades in the Far East. Now, however, it’s made its way to online casinos, and it’s one of the most enjoyable games you can play, even surpassing that of slot machines and other casino games. It’s no surprise that so many online casinos today choose to offer them to players.

Whether you already have experience playing Pachinko games, are used to going to Pachinko parlours and want to learn about playing it online, or learn more about this unique game, this guide will teach you exactly how to play and what you need to know! Let’s kick things off by looking at what Pachinko is and how it works!

What Is Pachinko?

Pachinko is a fast-paced type of game that was first created in Japan in the 1920s. At first, it was designed to be played by children, but it soon caught on with players of all ages. It’s now seen as one of the most popular arcade games globally, especially in Japan.

If you’re entirely new to the concept of Pachinko machines, well, they’re essentially vertical pinball machines. With the mechanical machines, players are tasked with using steel balls, and they try to maneuver them into specific holes and areas to win a prize. The game’s goal is to get as many of the balls landing in a specific hole as possible, and this is where you can begin earning prizes.

If you wanted to play Pachinko before, you’d need to find an arcade offering; not something that’s particularly easy in the West. In Japan, you’ll find Pachinko games all over, with special Pachinko parlours offering players the chance to enjoy the game 24 hours a day, seven days a week!

However, today, you’ll find that you can play an online Pachinko game. Many of the top online casino sites now offer this game for real money, so you don’t have to book an expensive ticket to Tokyo to try them out for yourself! Let’s see how online Pachinko games work below.

How To Play Online Pachinko

It’s pretty easy to play Pachinko both online and in person. If you’re playing in a land-based arcade — a physical Pachinko machine — you’ll need to purchase balls from the service counter or enter your money directly into the terminal if the Pachinko machines allow this. You will then see several balls in the top-most tray dispense. You’re then prompted to turn a knob that controls the amount of force that’s used to fire the balls into the Pachinko machine.

The player also needs to touch a metal firing mechanism to begin the game. The balls will then be fired into the Pachinko machine, and they’ll then make their way down what is essentially a maze. Your task is to get as many balls as possible into one of many different pockets. The most lucrative one is in the middle, awarding the highest prize.

You may have noticed that we’ve just described how to play the Pachinko game in a land-based establishment. However, like slot machines when it comes to online gameplay, there are no physical balls or mechanisms in place.

Instead, you simply select how much you’d like to stake, and everything is then played out in video animation. Some variants of the game allow you to fire the ball yourself, but in reality, there’s no skill factor involved with this. You simply get to interact a little bit more with the game; your actions don’t impact the overall result of the game.

History of Pachinko Machines

Pachinko is a Japanese game, so it was created in Japan, right? You may be surprised to learn that the Pachinko game was first created in England, and it can be traced all the way back to the 15th century. Apparently, the developers of the games were looking to convert some popular outdoor games like croquet to an indoor version. While this may sound very foreign compared to the Pachinko you see in Pachinko parlours today, it’s where the game originated from. We’ll skip to the early 20th century as, until that time, there wasn’t anything too notable to talk about.

In 1920 a version of Bagatelle was developed for children, produced in Chicago. Here’s an interesting snippet from Pachinko Planet on this game and how it helped to influence modern-day Pachinko (and even slot machines!).

“The shooting plunger was redesigned to accommodate the large silver balls instead of marbles, and bumpers and wood rails were later added, creating the forerunner of the American pastime known as pinball. Corinthian Bagatelle introduced brass nails instead of wooden pegs, a first primitive step towards the invention of the pachinko machines.

Corinthin Bagatelle, or the “Korinto Gemu,” was first imported into Japan in 1924, and it was not long before candy store owners began putting them on the counters of their shops. Different holes had different values, and children were given small pieces of candy or fruits if they achieved a high enough score.

By the late 1920s, nearly every candy store had the machines, and the children took to calling them “Pachi-Pachi,” which means the clicking of small objects or the crackling sounds made by a fire, an obvious reference to the sounds made while playing the game. So-called “Roten” stalls, holding 3-5 bagatelle-type machines, began appearing in markets around 1924. Adults would play Korinto Gemu and wager for a chance to win small prizes such as cigarettes, soap, or detergent.”

It was in 1930 that Pachinko really started to become popular in Japan. The government awarded the Aichi Prefecture Headquarters a gaming license to open up a variation of what we know as Pachinko today. Over the next few decades, the game continued to adapt, and in the 1950s, many manufacturers started to develop Pachinko machines, the type you’d see today in Pachinko parlours. From then, the game saw a rapid increase in popularity.

Today, Pachinko machines can be found all over Japan. While the mechanical versions of the game are popular with players, many people are now turning to electronic versions of the game, which coincides nicely with the machines offered at some of the top online casino sites listed here on this page.

How to Choose Casinos to Play Online Pachinko

Whether you’re joining an online casino purely to play Pachinko or you want to find a site that you can rely on for all of your online gambling needs, it’s essential to choose a site you trust. Here at Casinomeister, we know a thing or two about which casinos are good and which are bad.

Below, we’re going to take a look at some of the key considerations you should consider when choosing an online casino to play at.

Pachinko Game Selection

Of course, the first thing that you’ll want to check when choosing an online casino or online Pachinko parlor is the actual selection of games on offer. For example, does the site offer just one form of Pachinko, or do they offer many different types that you can try out?

Also, suppose you think you may want to play other games, like a slot machine or even a Pachinko slot machine. In that case, it’s worth checking out the game selection on offer and which software providers and game developers are available.

Thankfully, most online gambling sites make it easy to view their game selection without you needing to sign-up; this can be achieved, at most, through what’s called a game lobby. Here, you’ll be able to view all of the games on offer and browse through them without wasting any time setting up an account.

Banking Options

If you only want to play Pachinko in free play mode, you don’t need to worry about the payment methods online casinos offer. However, if you’re looking to play with real money, you should check out which payment methods are available at the casino.

For example, almost all online gambling sites offer you the ability to use debit and credit cards – and most will also let you use popular e-wallets like Neteller and Skrill. However, some sites are limited to just these banking options, and while that may be OK for some players, many of us would instead use bank transfers and wire transfers to make deposits and withdrawals.

It’s also worth looking at how payouts and withdrawals are processed. For example, some casinos still take up to 72 hours to process withdrawals, which is, in our opinion, just far too long in today’s day and age.

Try to look for casinos that have cash-out times within 24 hours; sites that offer fast payouts like this will typically process withdrawals even faster than this, and if you want quick access to your winnings, this is a great way to make sure you get paid out quickly!

Customer Support

The last thing you want to happen is that you join a casino, make a deposit, and begin playing Pachinko, only to run into problems. Maybe you’re having issues claiming a first deposit welcome bonus, or you can’t log into your account. In times like these, it’s hugely beneficial to have a customer support team on hand. Thankfully, most online gambling sites now have a customer support team that works 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

However, this isn’t always the case. Aside from the hours, there are also some other factors you should look at. For example, can you contact the customer support team via live chat? Live chat is always the preferred method of contact as it lets you speak with a customer support team member in real-time, which means you don’t have to wait for long to get a response.

Almost every casino offers customer support via email, but some also offer phone support. If you find a site that offers customer support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, via live chat, email, and phone, you can be confident that it will be reputable and safe to play at.

Bonuses & Promotions

Another relatively crucial factor when choosing a site to play Pachinko is the bonuses and promotions offered. For many players, these bonuses and promotions that they go out searching for before joining a casino. They’re sometimes even more important to them than the games!

For example, many sites today offer a wide variety of welcome bonus promotions, often allowing you to claim as many as four bonuses on your first four deposits! Some of the sites you’ll find here on this page allow you to claim no-deposit bonuses; these allow you to play your favourite Pachinko games without risking any of your own money.

Thankfully, it’s straightforward to find out what bonuses and promotions are on offer at a casino; head to their “Promotions” page, and you’ll see a quick and comprehensive rundown of what’s on offer.

Reputation & History

Don’t know which site to choose? Casino sites around the world must hold a valid online gambling license. Otherwise, they’re not legally allowed to offer real-money gambling games to their players. We recommend choosing a tightly regulated site with proper licensing, like the UK’s Gambling Commission or the Maltese Gaming Authority.

You should also look into the background of a site; for example, do they have an excellent reputation in looking after their players or have they generated many complaints online?

Thankfully, it’s usually pretty easy to pull up these stats, and you need to make a quick Google search to bring up tons of reviews about the site. If you find a casino with multiple negative reviews, proceed with caution. We recommend choosing one of the sites here on Casinomeister, as all of these websites have been hand-picked and vetted by our online gambling experts.