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Pachinko is ‘recreation for morons,’ magazine claims

62 Comments

Earlier this year, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe proposed a blueprint for what he calls “Ichi-oku So-katsuyaku Shakai” (A Society in Which All 100 Million Japanese Take Active Parts). So doing, the thinking goes, will fill in the gaps created by the falling birthrate and aging of the population.

Well, says a skeptical Jitsuwa Bunka Tabuu (January), the sad fact is that there’s one despicable group of people with no inclination at all to take an “active part” in society: pachinko players. About one Japanese in 12, or 9.7 million people, are said to engage in the pastime at the country’s 11,538 pachinko parlors, which each year rake in total revenues of about 18.8 trillion yen.

But for all the sound and fury of bouncing ball bearings, the magazine comments, we’re looking at a major industry that serves no useful purpose.

A man identified only as Mr A, works as an editor of a magazine for pachinko enthusiasts. He was transferred to his position from another job at the publishing company, despite the fact that he’d never set foot in a pachinko parlor in his life.

When he asked about the nature of the business from his peers at the office, they described it in somewhat unflattering terms as “s**t.”

They weren’t necessarily speaking figuratively. The men’s restrooms at some parlors sport signs requesting that the users “please defecate into the commode.” It seems that some losers take their resentment out on the shop, by depositing their excretions onto the floor, and in some cases even smearing the walls with poop.

“And that’s not all,” he says. “It’s common to see players pound on the machines, or destroy the internals by pouring coffee down the chute where the balls are inserted. I tell you, those places are like a zoo.”

Thievery is also said to be rampant at pachinko establishments.

“If a player leaves his seat just for a few moments, there’s a chance a thief will try to steal the “pakki kaado” (the prepaid cards that are inserted into the machines),” Mr A relates. “Start a conversation with the person seated on your right, and the guy on your left will rip off the card. And if you get up to use the toilet, someone will make off with your plastic receptacles used to keep balls paid out by the machine.

Then there are the so-called “goto-shi” (professional tricksters) who devise various methods, both electronic and manual, to make machines pay out jackpots.

Another phenomenon found in “adult entertainment zones” such as Kabukicho in Shinjuku is for prostitutes to cruise the shops and solicit business from males who appear to be big winners.

Considering their sleazy reputation, what explains pachinko’s long-term popularity?

“For the life of me I can’t understand its appeal,” replies Mr A. “I’ve noted that the pachinko machines set up at game arcades aren’t popular at all, and that leads me to conclude that the sole factor behind pachinko's appeal is the mistaken prospect that people can make money from it.”

Roughly between 10 to 30% of the money paid by customers becomes revenues of the shop, so the odds are (naturally) in the house’s favor. Even if players come out ahead on occasion, loses are inevitable over the long term.

Pachinko’s popularity actually achieved something of a revival from 2006, when the so-called “one-yen pachinko” system -- by which one yen was paid out on each ball redeemed -- began to be popularized. Now some shops have adopted the one-yen system exclusively.

“In so-called ‘one-yen pachinko’ (in which the return is one yen per ball), the players actually lay out about 4 yen per ball,” Mr A explains. “So when people cash in their winnings, their take is only one-fourth of their initial outlay. To be honest, it should really be called ‘0.25-yen pachinko.’”

While pachinko’s customer base has been aging along with the population as a whole, this has not necessarily cut into revenues. Recently the media reported that the Kobe City assembly revised an ordinance that had previously banned gambling activities such as pachinko and mahjongg at publicly operated rest homes. It seems that someone came up with the notion that a “pachinko rehabilitation experience” -- in which the inhabitants are transported to parlors where they are encouraged to engage in “therapy” -- would provide them with healthy stimulation.

Now, similar programs have begun spreading to other parts of the country. How shameful, the magazine remarks, to see the pachinko industry descend to the level that it feels it has to put the squeeze on senile geezers to generate more income.

“Pachinko has no future,” Mr A asserts. “If those of you reading this article play pachinko, you should quit while you’re ahead.”

© Japan Today

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

62 Comments
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I tend to think a high percentage of those that play Pachinko are just lazy people. A more productive person probably could not stand sitting for hours like that and not really accomplish anything.

15 ( +18 / -3 )

“For the life of me I can’t understand its appeal,” replies Mr A.

To each his or her own!

I tend to think a high percentage of those that play Pachinko are just lazy people. A more productive person probably could not stand sitting for hours like that and not really accomplish anything.

While that may be for some, others not so. I play pachinko a few times a month, typically when no one is at home and it's bad weather and I can't do any yard work.

Every reason I put here to explain the "why" would be debunked or criticized by those who are against it, yet I have my own reasons, and it does not hurt anyone, it causes no problems for anyone, and more importantly it's my choice and you can make any assumptions you want, but I dont care. I will continue to play as long as I want to, and when I choose to quit, I will quit.

-4 ( +13 / -17 )

Gambling is an illness!

8 ( +13 / -5 )

Some of the machines I saw in 2008 had all sorts of cool mechanical and/or electronic animations playing in them based on what was happening, so they were sometimes entertaining to at least watch as someone else played.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Gambling addiction is a mental illness. Not all players are obsessive-compulsive, however. It's true, though, that pachinko seemingly serves no useful purpose. Neither do video games in general.

6 ( +11 / -5 )

recreation for r*tards seems a bit harsh, more like recreation for zombies. Zombies that line up from 7 am in the morning. I sometimes wonder what kind of job all these people have.

14 ( +16 / -2 )

Neither do video games in general.

Many video games have very inspired narrative experiences. Last of Us comes to mind for a start....

10 ( +12 / -2 )

How shameful, the magazine remarks, to see the pachinko industry descend to the level that it feels it has to put the squeeze on senile geezers to generate more income.

Yeah, the pachinko industry is shameful and low, but that's expected of them. How about some focus and criticism toward the city governments that let them do this? I'm sure they weren't paid off or anything.

7 ( +9 / -2 )

The title of this article "Recreation for R*tards" in Japanese is "teino yugi pachinko" (低能遊戯パチンコ), which could alternatively be translated as "game for morons."

That said, the irony here is that Jitsuwa Bunka Tabuu is one of Japan's many tabloids for morons, and I am sure the vast majority of readership of this particular one are regular pachinko players — but probably fed up with the dwindling payouts and constantly losing their shirts.

This tabloid for the most part is geared toward the angry/frustrated Japanese male, with content resentful toward Japan's neighbors, certain Japanese celebrities and the overall state of affairs in Japan.

Here is an image of the cover of the January edition: https://goo.gl/4d890J

4 ( +4 / -0 )

We have changed the headline to make it less offensive.

I agree that sending retirees to Pachinko is pretty absurd, but who is this guy to tell people what to do?

2 ( +3 / -1 )

who is this guy to tell people what to do?

Well, isn't that pretty much what critics are supposed to do?

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Neither do video games in general.

Depends on the game. But its true that highly detailed games that require somewhat complicated and realistic controls, such as my combat flight sims, are not to popular. I actually purchased a flight system with rudders petals, separate throttle unit and flight stick and secured them all to a game chair I built. You can't just jump in and play and most people will just give up trying to play my games. Compare that to pachinko. My games require about the highest level of attention and concentration the brain can muster. Pachinko players could be confused for human vegetables.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

Pachinko, like casinos, is basically just a dead-weight loss to society.

Even if we give it the benefit of the doubt and call it entertainment (which it might be to some, but obviously most of the industry`s growth is attributable to the gambling aspect rather than the pure entertainment aspect), it is basically just wasted money.

To illustrate what I am getting at, compare the pachinko industry with the video game industry. Video games are actually appealling as entertainment and have become a sizeable contributor to Japanese economic success. They have been succesfully exported worldwide and turned a lot of Japanese companies like Nintendo into household names overseas. This translates directly into more jobs and more income for Japan and has a lot of other beneficial spill over effects in other industries as a result of the technical innovations developed for video games.

The pachinko industry is the opposite - rather than contributing to the Japanese economy it just sucks money out of it. There is very little overseas market for pachinko since it owes a lot of its success in Japan specifically to the fact that casinos are banned. There isn`t much useful innovation in pachinko either - developments in pachinko technology are pretty limited and tailored specifically at the peculiarities of the industry, the habits of pachinko users, the needs to navigate the murky regulatory framework and the overall business model of pachinko halls.

This isnt to say that video games dont have their downside too, like pachinko they also have an addictive quality that can be harmful to some users. But in terms of scale I think pachinko is by far the worst of the two in that area as well - gettting addicted to pachinko will directly harm you financially. Plus I`ve never heard of a single parent leaving their toddler locked in a boiling car to die a horrible death in a video arcade parking lot in August. Stories about that happening at Pachinko halls are almost a weekly occurence.

10 ( +10 / -0 )

Well, even morons need enertainment. Let's not be so judgmental.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

Pachinko, like casinos, is basically just a dead-weight loss to society.

@rainyday. Not really. Not everyone gambles for hours straight at casinos. When I go to Vegas, I go for the buffets, live performances, bar / club hopping. Very rarely, I drop cash into their gaming industry.

Pachinko parlors feature none of this. You get served coffee or you can buy from the the drink machines 130 yen. Pachinko is strictly "gambling" pachinko or slots.

Even if we give it the benefit of the doubt and call it entertainment (which it might be to some, but obviously most of the industry`s growth is attributable to the gambling aspect rather than the pure entertainment aspect), it is basically just wasted money.

Sure, It's a waste of money. But when people go to Vegas . . . or even to their local pachinko, they just want to get out and have a little fun. If you gamble responsibly and or drink responsibly, then what's the big deal??

3 ( +4 / -1 )

I haven't seen any reports lately in the news, but some years back it was pointed out that a fairly high percentage of the owners of pachinko parlours were of North Korean extraction, and because they remitted money to help family members in their home country they were helping to prop up the Kim dynasty there.

The other negative aspect is that the pachinko industry is closely monitored by the National Police Agency, and that the business associations that oversee the industry are mostly headed by "amakudari" OBs from the NPA. The fact that it is also a source of revenues for retired cops must almost certainly ensure its continued existence.

9 ( +10 / -1 )

Sure, It's a waste of money. But when people go to Vegas . . . or even to their local pachinko, they just want to get out and have a little fun. If you gamble responsibly and or drink responsibly, then what's the big deal??

My point isnt really about individual behavior but the nature of the industry itself. If people like doing it and arent addicted then I have no problem with people doing that at all.

That said, my issue with the industry as a whole is just that it isnt really economically beneficial for Japan. Not everything has to be economically beneficial to justify its existence of course, but at the same time for an industry this size I think its a fair question to ask.

My purpose in comparing it to video games was to illustrate this point - the video game industry (which is basically just about fulfilling peoples need for entertainment too) provides a lot of benefits to the Japanese economy as a whole which the pachinko industry does not. Its a major export product, helping the balance of trade, brings name recognition overseas, spurs technological innovation which has spillover effects, etc etc. Pachinko, despite the huge amount of money it rakes in, doesnt offer any of these benefits to the economy as a whole. It sucks up a huge amount of money - totally out of proportion to the amount of entertainment it provides as distinct from simply feeding people`s gambling addictions - and then creates a bunch of negative externalities that society as a whole pays for (the costs of gambling addiciton, kids getting left in car-ovens, etc etc).

So while you are correct, I am sure reasonable people can enjoy pachinko, that isn`t really what I was getting at. If the industry as a whole had to rely solely on income from responsible people just doing it for fun on occasion then all the pachinko parlors in Japan would go bankrupt very quickly. They need the income that people wasting huge amounts of cash to feed an addiction creates.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

pachinko has always seemed daft to me, I have entered them 2-3 times in over 2decades & it was only in the first couple years I was here........

its mind numbingly boring & the racket drove me out in short order I think I dropped maybe Y2,000, good riddance!

I say the govt should enforce the non-gambling, ie not giving out those stupid little "prizes" that the hole in wall shop nearby deem worth excessive amounts of ca$h

But alas as someone pointed out the cops make too much $$$ off pachinko so they are cool with it.

Overall I think its safe to say it has a very large negative affect overall on people & families & yes its simply for morons LOL!!!

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Well, it is. Most likely dodgier than any casino to boot!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

its mind numbingly boring & the racket drove me out in short order I think I dropped maybe Y2,000, good riddance!

So from experience I can tell you that if you didnt "hit" anything you were gone in about 10 or 15 minutes, as that is about how fast it takes to go through 2,000 yen.

Another thing, there is this invention called ear plugs that blanks out the noise. It's the boring, mind-numbing feature of pachinko that attracts many to the parlors.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

I prefer to go to the laundry and watch clothes spin in a dryer. Much more creative and interesting.

11 ( +11 / -0 )

What's not to like about martial music and second-hand smoke?

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Never played it and never will, but I did note that the types who would line up at pachinko places waiting for opening tended to be poorly dressed with dyed hair.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Yeah the line outside a pachinko parlour is always a bunch of such sorry looking souls.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

So from experience I can tell you that if you didnt "hit" anything you were gone in about 10 or 15 minutes, as that is about how fast it takes to go through 2,000 yen.

Yubaru,

that's about right I was daft & a MORON on a couple occasions not lasting more then 5-10minutes a couple decades ago, BUT I quickly LEARNED & never came back so I call that progress LOL!!!

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Absolutely useless waste of money and time.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

@papigiullo, their jobs? Probably leeches to their pension receiving parents and hence future murderers. Met a Filipina whose addicted to it. I happen to shake her hands and it was a bit course, courser than mine. Could that be an effect of being a pachinko addict?

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

I have to agree pachinko is destructive. Its an industry that feeds off the dreams of lazy and unfocused people (most of us). And it most likely adds the increased potential for crime, as many customers can't afford to lose and they are being trained while playing pachinko to look for the easy way out.

I play poker when I go to Vegas, low stakes stuff. It's fun and I have conversations with the other players I enjoy. It requires mental engagement, and one can play all night with little risk as long as they exercise self control. But slot machines are simply the Western version of pachinko. Try walking through a casino and look at the vacant expressions on the people playing. Zombies.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

GW.... More power to you. there is a saying, "No one has built a house playing pachinko, but plenty have lost theirs because of it."

I know many families that have been torn apart because of the addiction that some have with it and yes it is addictive. Yet I do not criticize nor condemn others for playing it either.

I know plenty of guys that spend just as much or more going out to drink after work and carousing with girls at snacks or cabarets in the hope of getting something but leaving empty handed, and many of them condemn the people who play pachinko too.

There are all sorts of vices in the world.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

Ugh! The snobbery on this thread smells worse than second-hand smoke.

4 ( +8 / -4 )

Pachinko is ‘recreation for morons,’ magazine claims

Hum, well given the popularity of pachinkos, there are then a lot of morons in Japan.... Lol.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

I made some money over a short period of months several years ago, but my wife complained so I stopped. I have to say that where I played was nothing like what's described in the article. There was a non-smoking section and the people that played around me were very polite and nice - giving a smile or a fist pump if they saw me win. I still go in there to use the toilets because they're brand new and nice, while the other available ones at the station are decrepit and smell of piss. It's true that there were people that always seemed to be there, and that's the problem. The addiction part is dangerous and there have even been real cases of parents leaving their children in hot cars to go gamble. Honestly I'm glad I stopped - not sure if I would have become addicted but I did find in a weird way that it helped me de-stress because I didn't have to think about anything while I played. Even if it doesn't provide the same stimulation as video games, it was still somehow all-absorbing so yeah, better that I quit when I was ahead!

3 ( +4 / -1 )

I made some money over a short period of months several years ago, but my wife complained so I stopped. I have to say that where I played was nothing like what's described in the article. There was a non-smoking section and the people that played around me were very polite and nice - giving a smile or a fist pump if they saw me win

I have made quite a few friends and acquaintances from the place I frequent, and I can not count how many times absolute strangers would drop down a can of coffee or tea, or buy me a cup of coffee from the coffee girl that walks around. Sure it's not everyone, and yes there are one's that have that dead look to their eyes that constantly fidget and try occasionally pound on the machines when they lose, but they are few and far between and the staff keep an eye out for them.

There are tons of senior citizens that play, euphemistically some call the place the "Silver Center", and many sit around chatting with people their own age and play too.

Not all about pachinko is so dark and gloomy and I have yet to see a place down here in Okinawa like the one in the article. Doubt many customers would stay and the place would go under if it was. Anyway, yeah it's gambling, we all know it, yes it can be addictive, but it also can be fun too.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

My parents-in-law are weekly pachinko players and far from lazy and far from being morons. It is a hobby plain and simple and why would you criticize someone over a hobby that has nothing to do with you. It is the same as judging someone for their religion or sexual preference.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

My parents-in-law are weekly pachinko players and far from lazy and far from being morons. It is a hobby plain and simple and why would you criticize someone over a hobby that has nothing to do with you. It is the same as judging someone for their religion or sexual preference.

I agree, but it's easy for people to throw virtual stones from their virtual glass houses!

0 ( +2 / -2 )

While gambling is supposedly ILLEGAL to control the Gangsters, betting is allowed in many areas such as horse racing, boat racing, bike racing, lotto and of course Pachinko. ALL an easy "source" of indirect taxation. It at least does not have the negative image as cigarette smoking and drinking alcoholic drinks that has immediately visible physical addition and damage. Both of which has very high taxation rates in the name of trying to "prevent" their use by high cost.

If what I have heard of it in the streets is correct, Pachinko serves three basic functions.

It is a source of taxes as with any of the other allowed "legal" betting. It is an undeclared indirect foreign aid to S. and N. Korea. (The maker of the machines and the owners of the Pachinko parlors are Korean or of Korean connection, similar to the Lotte conglomerate.) It is a way to keep people from gambling illegally and to keep people off the streets.

I am not sure exactly what purpose it serves. However, any gambling legal or illegal definitely "excites" people and may become an uncontrollable habit or an illness such as smartphone use and net gaming is today.

The problem is while it feeds the coffers of those misuse taxes, it destroys lives by the addictive nature of the habit called gambling.

It certainly creates an "unproductive" and "wasteful" society that undermines the value of people.

Man has only "time" to live on this earth. His only "right" is the right to "choose". If he chooses to waste his time and his life, it is difficult for even a government to control. However, to "encourage" such activity just to get additional taxes, definitely reduces the quality and strength of any society. It may be no different from hallucinogenic drugs.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

There is a lot of gambling in a lot of countries all around the world.

The major psychological gambling theory is "the illusion of control" (langer, 1975) which has it that gamblers believe their choices (of horse, roulette bet, lottery number) will beat the odds. The un-Western thing about Pachinko is that it does not contain all that much choice. There is the choice of machine, and where to fire the balls, but I have been told that while the former is important many sit down at random, and the latter does not seem to be much of an issue with quite a spray of ball trajectories and players not really moving the knobs at all. Pachinko players go to avoid making choices, and not-think as shonanftw says. In this sense pachinko resembles Buddhist meditation, especially since the machines bear a strong resemblance to mandala. I think however, that there need be an illusion of uniqueness. Unless players believe that they can beat the odds, then the bare fact that the parlour (casino) is making money is too obvious. So what it is that the pachinko player believes that they are superior than their peers at? From talking to a pachinko player, and from the posters to a famous series of movies regarding Pachinko https://www.flickr.com/photos/nihonbunka/8165295860/, it seemed to me that players may believe that they have greater determination and endurance. Pachinko machines generally pay out, quite big, if you play them for long enough. The ability therefore to take a loss and wait for a big win may therefore seem to players to be a dimension in which they are "beating the odds." I attempted to test this hypothesis, however, and found that belief in j-determination (konjo) using a scale by Yamagishi, did not correlate with pachinko playing, but then there were few pachinko players in my sample.

There may also be some sort of sense of "becoming one with the bet." Westerners may feel that their linguistic choices become one with the numbers etc of the bet, and Japanese gamblers may feel themselves by becoming "zombies" (a bad word for absent of linguistic thought) one with the machine. I think perhaps that anyone who is full of linguistic thought, is like a robot from a Japanese perspective so in a sense we are zombies (unthinking) to each other.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

100% totally agree with that statement.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

I have to agree with the article. It is, literally, a game for losers.

I also think manga is entertainment for idiots as well, rather than the art form some people claim it is, but at least readers' losses are limited to the price of the book, and the self respect they lose being a grown man reading these comics on the train...

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

the self respect they lose being a grown man reading these comics on the train...

I have no interest in manga whatsoever, but why would anyone lose self respect for reading them? That makes no sense.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Pachinko machines generally pay out, quite big, if you play them for long enough.

No they don't. Something "quite big" (imo) is something over $10,000 or the equivalent in Yen. A Max Pachinko Machine (let's say Hiewa's Lupin the 3rd) would never pay out that much.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

The game’s image also suffered because some of the hall owners sent their earnings back to families in what is now North Korea, turning pachinko into a source of hard currency for that isolated nation. During pachinko’s peak in the 1990s, hundreds of millions of dollars may have flowed into North Korea every year, though the industry says recent economic sanctions have largely cut off that financing.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

No they don't. Something "quite big" (imo) is something over $10,000 or the equivalent in Yen. A Max Pachinko Machine (let's say Hiewa's Lupin the 3rd) would never pay out that much.

No pachinko or slot machine currently in Japan could pay out that much during the course of one given day as that would be considered gambling and the parlor could lose it's license to operate.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

No pachinko or slot machine currently in Japan could pay out that much during the course of one given day as that would be considered gambling and the parlor could lose it's license to operate.

Yubaru (no pun intended) but isn't pachinko gambling? I don't understand the gambling laws then. I know you "win" boxes full of balls, exchange them or a receipt, exchange the receipty for color coded cards and then take the cards outside to the cash window to be paid.

How does the amount "won", whether significantly low or high, not considered gambling?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Yubaru (no pun intended) but isn't pachinko gambling? I don't understand the gambling laws then. I know you "win" boxes full of balls, exchange them or a receipt, exchange the receipty for color coded cards and then take the cards outside to the cash window to be paid. How does the amount "won", whether significantly low or high, not considered gambling?

Yes, according to a dictionary definition it's gambling, and I totally agree it is too.

To explain it would take a major wall of text, sorry but here is one site (wiki, sorry about that) that explains it but is hard to accept.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gambling_in_Japan

1 ( +1 / -0 )

the self respect they lose being a grown man reading these comics on the train...

I don't think that's ever been an issue in Japan actually.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I think the pachinko players are mutating to boring grandpas and grandmas that only went to spent their extra time and money to a bunch of morons that are putting the pachinko situation even worse. I think in a future Pachinko will have problems to get public, by one side those bored grandpas and grandmas will die and the younger people will not want to spend money on Pachinko but on other kind of entertainment instead, like videogames, at least the sense of pertenence that implies to buy a console, a screen and some games allows the player to think that losing money on games is better than screwing everything on pachinko..

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Anything that causes unhealthy addiction can create a society or community of people that do not contribute to said community. However, I wouldn't go as far as calling pachinko players useless though (o.o) Unless it is the only thing that they do and they are not retired or elderly. (^-^)/

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Even if I wanted to play pachinko, I couldn't. The noise is so loud it made literally made me nauseous standing outside near the door. Never mind the choking level of cigarette smoke.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Pachinko halls are still popular in Taiwan, usually run by gangsters here.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

"Pachinko is ‘recreation for morons,’"

If that's true, there sure are a bunch of morons in Japan, lol.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

but I did find in a weird way that it helped me de-stress because I didn't have to think about anything while I played

Perhaps a bit like chanting or meditating. Comparable to fishing perhaps, but warmer and no need for funny hats.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Even if I wanted to play pachinko, I couldn't. The noise is so loud it made literally made me nauseous standing outside near the door. Never mind the choking level of cigarette smoke.

Ear plugs do cut the noise and there are plenty of parlors that have outstanding ventilation systems that cigarette smoke is not an issue.

Your comment however sounds strange, "even if you wanted?" Sounds to me like someone who is just repeating something they read somewhere and not from actual experience.

Before talking about what you think you know or are influenced by other people's opinions, experience it yourself.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

The government should love pachinko as it does bring in huge amounts of money. If people want to play pachinko and thus increase their tax payments to the government, let them. 180 billion dollars a year in revenue is a pretty large organization!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

This isn't so complicated; it is just another way for the government, any government, to get money from the people.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I find it amazing that some players are motivated enough to actually line up before opening time and wait for the doors to open. You can always tell that kind of line up by the riff-raff standing in it.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

They line up to get their favorite machine.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

They line up to get their favorite machine.

True. But why? When a Max pachinko machine is @300-500 spins, with no win(s), it is bound to pay. I never line up. It's just entertainment anyways.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Astonishing amount of holier/wiser/just plain better-than-thou nonsense here...I have never played patchinko...but I have looked in...to see what goes on...and for the most part...I guess that there's very little real interest in thinking about winning a lot of money...as a sense of joining in some kind of speechless camaraderie...same kind of appeal in my opinion...as those small size travelling fairs....in Europe. Loud music...flashing bright lights...may all be a way for old people to manage soliude, or a too solitary life.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Accurate statement.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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