Pachinko
Pachinko is a mechanical game originating in Japan that is used as an and, muchmore frequently, for gambling. Pachinko fills a niche in Japanese gambling comparable to that of the in the as a form of, gambling.
Pachinko parlors are widespread in Japan, and usually also feature a number of slot machines ; these venues look and operate similarly to casinos. Modern pachinko machines have both mechanical and electrical components.
Gambling for cash is illegal inJapan, but the widespread popularity of pachinko in Japanese society has enabled a specific allowing it to exist. won from games cannot be exchanged directly for money in the parlor, nor can they be removed from the premises or exchanged with other parlors. However, they can be legally traded to the parlor for "special prize" tokens, which can in turn be "sold" forcash to a separate vendor. These vendors then sell the tokens back to the parlor at the same price paid for them—plus a small commission, creating a —without technically violating the law.
By 1994, the pachinko market in Japan was valued at trillion. In1999, salesand revenue from pachinko parlors contributed 5.6% of Japan's, and they employed over, 0.52% of all those employed inJapan. However, the sales amount of these pachinko parlors is calculated based on the total amount that customers rented pachinko balls from pachinko parlors. It is said that on average, about85% of the money spent by customers in pachinko parlors is returned to the customers, so the sales of pachinko parlors are said to be about15% of the statistical amount., Japan's pachinko market generated more gambling revenue than that of Macau,, and Singapore combined. Pachinko gambling's nature and tremendous profit historically resulted in considerable infiltration by yakuza, who used it as a vehicle for money laundering and racketeering.
Since the 1990s, however, this has been less of an issue due to police crackdowns. There were over 7million pachinkos around the world in2018 with morethan half of them being inJapan. In recent years, the pachinko market and the number of pachinko parlors inJapan have both continued to decline. The marketsize in2022 was trillion, lessthan half of the trillion in2005 when the market was at itspeak, and the numberof pachinko parlors in2022, lessthan half of the 18,244 in1997, when the numberof parlors was at its peak.
Following a number of years of decline of parlours and machines, the number of pachinko machines inJapan dropped to around 2.5million by the.
Description
A pachinko machine resembles a vertical pinball machine, but is different from Western pinball in severalways. It uses small steelballs, which the owner rents to the player, while pinball games use a larger, captive ball.The player loads one or more balls into the machine, then presses and releases a spring-loaded handle, which is attached to a padded hammer inside the machine, launching the ball into a metal track. The track guides the ball over the top of the playingfield; then when it loses momentum, it falls into the playingfield.
The playing field is populated by numerous brasspins, several smallcups into which the player hopes the ball will fall, and a hole at the bottom into which the ball falls if it does not enter a catcher. The ball bounces from pin to pin, both slowing its descent and deflecting it laterally across the field. A ball that enters a catcher triggers a payout, in which a number of balls are dropped into a tray at the front of the machine.
Many games made since the 1960s feature "tulip" catchers, which have small flippers that open to expand the width of the catcher. They are controlled by the machine, and may open and close randomly or in a pattern; expert players try to launch a ball so it reaches the catcher when its flippers are open.
The game's object is to win as many balls as possible, which can be exchanged for prizes. Pachinko machines were originally strictly mechanical, but have since incorporated extensive electronics, becoming similar to videoslot machines. Another type of machine often found in pachinko parlors, called a "pachislot", does not involve steelballs, but are loadedwith tokens or coins and comparable to those of a traditional. Online casinos also offer "pachislot" games to tailor their product to the Japanesemarket.
History
Pachinko machines were first built during the 1920s as a children'stoy called the "Corinth game", based on and named after the American "Corinthian bagatelle". It emerged as an adult pastime in around1930, and spread from there.All of Japan's pachinko parlors were closed down during World WarII but in the late1940s. Pachinko has remained popular since; the first commercial parlor was opened in in1948. Due to Japanese influence during its occupation, Taiwan has many pachinko establishments.
Guam also hosts a pachinko parlor.
An estimated 80 percent of pachinko parlors in Japan are owned by ethnic Koreans. In2001, British company bought a stake in Tokyo Plaza|, which was running almost 20parlors in Japan, and had also looked into opening parlors in the UnitedKingdom.
Until the 1980s, pachinko machines were mechanical devices, using bells to indicate different states of the machine. Electricity was used only to flash lights and to indicate problems, such as a machine emptied of its balls. Balls were launched using a flipper; their speed was controlled by pulling the flipper down to different levels. Manufacturers in this period included and SANKYO|; most of these machines available on online auction sites today date to the1970s. After that time, pachinko machines incorporated more electronic features, thus requiring electricity for operation.
Mechanisms
To play pachinko, players get a number of metal balls by inserting cash or cards directly into the machine they want to use. They then shoot the balls into the machine. Older pachinko machines use a spring-loaded lever for shooting balls individually; while later ones use a round knob, controlling the strength of a mechanically-fired plunger that shoots the balls. The balls fall vertically through an array of pins, levers, cups, trapsand obstacles until they enter a payoff target or reach the bottom of the playfield.The player has a chance to get more balls if a launched ball lands in one of certain places as it falls. More balls allow the player to remain in the game longer, creating a larger chance to win.
Newer "pachislot" machines have a digital slot machine display on a large screen, where the objective is to get three numbers or symbols in a row for a jackpot.
Every ball that goes into the center gate results in one spin, but there is a limit on the number of spins at onetime because of the possibility of balls passing through the centergate while a spin is still in progress. Each spin pays out a small number of balls, but the objective is to hit the jackpot.
Design
Pachinko machines vary in several aspects—including decorative mechanics, sound, gimmicks, modes, and gates. The playing field is usually a wooden board with a transparent acrylic overlay containing artwork. Most modern machines have an LCDscreen over the main start pocket. The game is played by keeping the stream of balls to the left of the screen, but many models have their optimized ballstream. Vintage machines vary in pocket location and strategy, with most having a specific center area containing winpockets.Payout mode
If the first two numbers, letters, or symbols of the spin match up, the digital program will display many animations before the third reel stops spinning, to give the player an added excitement. This is called a "reach" and sometimes longer animations are played, called "superreaches". Pachinko machines offer different odds in hitting a jackpot; if the player manages to obtain a jackpot, the machine will enter into "payoutmode".The payout mode lasts for a number of rounds. During each round, amidst more animations and movies playing on the center screen, a large payoutgate opens up at the bottom of the machine layout and the player must try to shoot balls into it. Each ball that successfully enters into this gate results in many balls being dropped into a separate tray at the bottom of the machine, which can then be placed into a ballbucket.
Hidden modes, hints, and instant wins
To enhance gameplay, modern machines have integrated several aspects not possible in vintage machines. A common one is the ability to switch between different playmodes, including rare and hidden modes that can differ significantly from normalplay. Twoexamples can be seen in the NeonGenesis Evangelion series of pachinko machines, which include "MissionMode" and "BerserkerMode", ranging from having little effect on winning to being an almost-guaranteed win.Graphics in videos and light patterns can also give players a general idea of what these winningodds are. For example, a "superreach" may cause a change in animation, or show an introductory animation or picture. This adds excitement, with some changes having much more significance than others in terms of odds of winning on a given spin. Some machines feature instant wins. There are also second-chancewins, where a spin that appears to have lost, or to have a verylow winning chance, gives the player three matching numbers and starts "fevermode".
Post-payout systems
After the payout mode has ended, the pachinko machine may do oneof two things. Most pachinko machines employ the system, where some percentage of the possible jackpots on the digital slotmachine result in the odds of hitting the next jackpot multiplying by a large amount, followed by another spin regardless of the outcome. The probability of a occurring is determined by a random number generator.Hence, under this system, it is possible for a player to get a string of consecutive jackpots after the first one, commonly referred to as "fevermode". Another type of system is a "specialtime" or "ST"'. With these machines, every jackpot earned results in a ', but in order to earn a payout beyond the first jackpot, the player must hit a certain set of odds within a given number of spins.
When a jackpot does not result in a combination, the pachinko machine will enter into mode, with a much larger number of spins than '. Under the original payoutodds, the centergate widens to make it considerably easier for balls to fall into it; this system is also present in '.
To compensate for the increase in the number of spins, the digital slotmachine reveals the final outcome of each spin sooner. STpachinko machines do not offer this mode; after it ends, the machine spins as in . Once no more jackpots have been made, the pachinko machine reverts to its original setting.