Pachinko

Pachinko
A pachinko parlor in Tokyo.

Pachinko (パチンコ?) is a Japanese gaming device. A pachinko machine resembles a vertical pinball machine, but has no flippers and uses a large number of small balls. The player fires balls into the machine, which then cascade down through a dense forest of pins. If the balls go into certain locations, sequences of events are triggered that result in more balls being released;[1] these balls can then be exchanged for prizes. Pachinko machines were originally strictly mechanical, but modern ones have incorporated extensive electronics, becoming similar to video slot machines.

The machines are widespread in establishments called parlors, which feature a number of slot machines; hence, they operate and look similar to casinos. Modern pachinko machines are highly customizable, keeping enthusiasts continuously entertained. Because gambling for cash is illegal in Japan, balls won cannot be exchanged directly for cash in the parlor; instead the balls are exchanged for tokens, which are then taken outside and exchanged for cash at a place nominally separate from the parlor and possibly run by organized crime.[2]

As an indicator of the popularity of pachinko in Japan, Japanese government estimates of the annual turnover of the pachinko industry are in the region of 29 trillion yen (US$300 billion)[3]. To put this in perspective, this is about twice the annual turnover of Japan's automobile industry, and approximately equivalent to the estimated annual turnover of the global narcotics trade.

Contents

History

Pachinko machines were first built during the 1920s as a children's toy called the "corinth game" (コリントゲーム korinto gēmu?), based on and named after the American "Corinthian Bagatelle".[4] It emerged as an adult pastime in Nagoya around 1930 and spread from there. All of Japan's pachinko parlors were closed down during World War II but re-emerged in the late 1940s. Pachinko has remained popular since; the first commercial parlor was opened in Nagoya in 1948.[5] As a country influenced by Japan during its occupation, Taiwan has many pachinko establishments.

Up until the 1980s, pachinko machines were mechanical devices,[6] 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.[7] Balls were launched using a flipper; their speed was controlled by pulling the flipper down to different levels. Manufacturers in this period included Nishijin and Sankyo; most of these machines available on online auction sites today date to the 1970s.[6] After that time, pachinko machines began to incorporate more and more electronic features, thus requiring electricity for operation.

Ownership

The majority of pachinko shops are owned by Zainichi Koreans; according to the South Korean newspaper JoongAng Ilbo, 90% of the 16,000 - 17,000 pachinko shops in Japan are owned by them. The reason for this is that while Japanese ownership was a majority in the beginning, to help reduce problem gambling in 1954 automatic fire pachinko machines were banned, causing most Japanese manufacturers to leave the market to Zainichi Koreans, a high ratio that remained to this day.

Mechanism

Entrance to pachinko parlor in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan.

There are many types of pachinko machines, but most of them are based on the bean machine. In order to play pachinko, players get metal balls by inserting cash or cards directly into the machine they want to use. These balls are then shot into the machine from a ball tray with the purpose of attempting to win more balls. There is a digital slot machine on a large screen in the center of the system and the objective of this part is to get 3 numbers or symbols in a row for a jackpot.

Older pachinko machines had a spring-loaded lever for shooting the balls individually, but newer ones use a round knob that controls the strength of an electrically fired plunger that shoots the balls onto the playing field. When shot, the balls drop through an array of pins; some of them will fall into the center gate and start up the slot machine in the center screen. Every ball that goes into the center gate results in one spin of the slot machine, but there is a limit on the number of spins at one time because of the possibility of balls passing through the center gate while a spin is still in progress. Each spin pays out a small number of balls, but the objective is to hit the jackpot. The program of the digital slot machine decides the outcome of the spin when the ball falls through the center gate, not when the spinning animation plays.[8]

Payout mode

If the first 2 numbers or letters of the spin match up, the digital program will display many animations before the third reel stops spinning, to give the player added excitement. Pachinko machines offer different odds in hitting a jackpot; if the player manages obtain a jackpot the machine will enter into payout mode.

The payout mode lasts for a number of rounds. During each round, amidst more animations and movies playing on the center screen, a large payout gate 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 a large number of balls being dropped into a separate tray at the bottom of the machine, which can then be placed into a ball bucket.

Post-payout systems

After the payout mode has ended, the pachinko machine may do one of two things. Most of them employ the kakuhen system, where some percentage of the possible jackpots on the digital slot machine 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 kakuhen 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 "hard earned" one, commonly referred to as "fever mode". Another type of kakuhen system is the special time or ST kakuhen. With these machines, every jackpot earned results in a kakuhen, but in order to earn a payout beyond the first jackpot, the player must hit a certain set of odds within a given amount of spins.

When a jackpot does not result in a kakuhen combination, the pachinko machine will enter into jitan mode, with a much larger number of spins than kakuhen. Under the original payout odds, the center gate widens to make it considerably easier for balls to fall into it; this system is also present in kakuhen. To compensate for the increase in the number of spins, the digital slot machine produces the final outcomes of each spin faster. ST pachinko machines do not offer this mode; after it ends, the machine spins as in kakuhen. Once no more jackpots have been made, the pachinko machine reverts to its original setting.

Koatari

Starting in 2007, the majority of Japanese pachinko machines started to include koatari into their payout systems. Koatari is shorter than the normal jackpot and during payout mode the payout gate opens for a short time only, even if no balls go into it. The timing of the opening of the gates here is unpredictable, effectively making it a jackpot where the player receives no payout. Koatari jackpots can result in a kakuhen as per normal operation, depending on the payout scheme of the machine in question. The main purpose of koataris is so that pachinko manufacturers can offer payout schemes that appear to be largely favorable to customers, without losing any long-term profit. Hence, players must check the payout schemes of the pachinko machines they wish to play in order to decide whether they give them a profit.

In addition to being able to offer higher kakuhen percentages, koatari made it possible for manufacturers to design battle-type machines. Unlike old-fashioned pachinko machines that offer a full payout or a kakuhen for any type of jackpot earned, these machines require players to hit a kakuhen jackpot with a certain probability in order to get a full payout. This is orchestrated by the player entering into "battle", where the player, in accordance with the item that machine is based on, must "defeat" a certain enemy or foe in order to earn another kakuhen. If the player loses, it means that a normal koatari has been hit and the machine enters into jitan mode. The excitement of players "battling" to earn a string of consecutive kakuhens is what makes such machines addictive.

Another reason for incorporating koataris is that they make it possible for a machine to go into kakuhen mode without the player knowing. This is referred to as senpuku (hidden) kakuhen because it does not occur in any of the jackpot modes. A player sitting at a used pachinko machine offering a 1 in x chance of hitting a jackpot in normal mode can hit it within x spins easily because the previous player did not realize that the machine was in senpuku. This induces players to keep playing their machines, even though they may still be in normal mode. Japanese pachinko players have not shown significant signs of protest in response to the incorporation of koataris; on the contrary, battle-type pachinko machines have become a major part of most parlors.

The inside workings of a pachinko machine being pulled out of a parlor.

Design

Pachinko machines vary in several aspects, including decoration, music, modes and gates. Most machines have customizable settings inside them, accessible by parlour workers only, to pay out more balls or increase the multiplier settings and mode lengths, for example, allowing a high level of customization. These factors keep things interesting and lead pachinko enthusiasts to the belief that certain machines have been tweaked to have very high payout settings. Different parlours have different types of machines with different settings, so enthusiasts may switch parlours if they are unsatisfied with any particular one. The most common difference between pachinko machines is their payout: older machines are hard to get jackpots on but pay out a lot, whereas the newer machines are easier to win on but pay out less. Hence, the older machines are the choice of hard gamblers while the newer ones suit people who do not want to make a profit.

Prizes

Pachinko balls

Winnings take the form of additional balls, which players may either use to keep playing or exchange for tokens (typically slits of gold encased in plastic), vouchers or other prizes. When players wish to exchange their winnings, they must call a parlor staff member by using a call button located at the top of their station. The staff member will then carry the player's balls to an automated counter to see how many balls they have. After recording the number of balls the player won and the number of the machine they used, the staff member will then give the player a voucher or card with the number of balls stored in it. The player then hands it in at the parlor's exchange center to get their tokens or prizes.

Prizes may be as simple as pens or cigarette lighters, or as complicated as electronics, bicycles and other items. Under Japanese law, cash cannot be paid out directly for pachinko balls, but there is usually a small exchange center located nearby, separate from the game parlor but sometimes in a separate unit as part of the same building, where players may exchange their winnings for cash. This is tolerated by the police because the pachinko parlors that pay out goods and tokens are independent from the exchange centers that trade the tokens in for cash.[9] Some pachinko parlors may even give out vouchers for groceries at a nearby supermarket.

In Taiwan, it is possible to exchange balls directly for cash at parlors, but it is only done with frequent customers and is highly illegal. A way players can win cash legally is by selling the prizes won to a nearby associate store that acts like a pawn shop and buys the items at discount prices. For example, if somebody exchanged their metal ball winnings for a pack of cigarettes but did not smoke, they could sell it to the associate store at 10%-30% less its actual value, or trade their winnings with another player and trade or sell the balls for cash.

Strategies

The odds of any Pachinko machine can be assumed to be in favor of the house; according to the law of large numbers, the individual odds of any player will tend towards these overall odds with prolonged play. Therefore, mathematically there is no winning strategy for Pachinko.

Inside information

In Japan, many books and magazines offer advice on how to earn a living playing pachinko. The variety of help ranges from simple tips to systematically finding a way to outsmart the parlors, but it is recommended that all players develop their own personal methods for winning as nothing is guaranteed. Inside sources telling the player which pachinko machines have the highest settings are a highly reliable method; some pachinko establishments offer such information as an incentive for joining their club, but this information is hard to exploit because of a high level of competition among fellow members to get their hands on good machines. There is usually a long line of people waiting outside pachinko parlors hours before they are set to open, but given the fact that most parlors hold lotteries to see who the first hundred people to enter the parlor will be every morning, the odds of being able to get a good machine with inside information are reduced.[10]

Trends

By observing trends in how particular parlors distribute high-payout machines throughout the center on a given day of the week, the player may make an educated guess at where they are when the need arises. This important at the start of the day, because of the popularity of pachinko rebounding since the start of the 21st century meaning that all the good machines are taken just after the parlors open.[10]

Waiting game

A commonly used pachinko strategy is to stay at one machine for the entire parlor's opening time regardless of setting. The logic behind this is that although that machine may be programmed to give the player a loss in the long run, the player should keep playing there to minimize their losses and possibly gain a small margin of profit. As a means to demonstrate this point, it has been observed[who?] that if a particular machine has undergone a lot of spins without jackpots, the next few spins usually include a jackpot. An explanation for this is that some parlor managers may illegally manipulate their machines to give players a large amount of jackpots once they have lost a lot of money to ensure continued patronage. Many amateur players do not have the time or money to gamble in this manner, but may try their luck if they find a pachinko machine that has undergone a lot of spins without providing jackpots.[10]

Selective play

Another common strategy is to only play machines that have layouts which make it easier to spin the slot machine. Success is still heavily dependent on settings, but by being able to spin the digital slot machine a greater number of times with the same given amount of balls, there is a greater chance of hitting the jackpot. Evaluating the spacing and angles of the nails in the pachinko machine is crucial to this strategy.[10]

Recreational Pachinko

Many video arcades in Japan feature pachinko models from different times. They offer more playing time for a certain amount of money spent and have balls exchanged for game tokens, which can only be used to play other games in the establishment. As many of these arcades are smoke-free and the gambling is removed, this is popular for casual players, children, and those wanting to play in a more relaxed atmosphere. Thrifty gamblers may spend a small amount on a newly released model in such establishments to get the feel for the machine before going to a real parlor. The same machines can be found in many stores, with the difference being that they pay out capsules containing a prize coupon or store credit.

Machine manipulation

Parlors

Pachinko parlors are known for tweaking their machines to maximise their profits without intimidating customers, which means that most machines have different payout settings than what their manufacturers claim. The Japanese police can tolerate such manipulation as long as it happens outside of business hours; generally, those that cause a loss to the player are found in greater numbers.

Resetting of machines every day before opening hours is a feature of all parlors, because of the strict enforcement of closing times implying some players having to give up their machines when they hit a string of jackpots. Those whose machines are in payout mode at this time are allowed to collect their balls for the duration of the payout. Some parlors allow members to hold a particular machine across operating sessions. Timing is another factor in determining how parlors set their machines: holidays, when many people play pachinko, are favourable because many play it for leisure and the parlors are keen to attract them to come back for more. Weekends are unfavourable because the majority of players have only this time to play.

The layout of the different setting machines is a psychological method of attracting players; machines near the entrance are usually set at a high payout rate. When people walk by the parlor and see players at those machines with a large number of balls, they are more inclined to go inside and play the other machines even though they are at lower settings. For this purpose, many parlors employ "sakuras" to sit at these machines and emulate players winning a large number of balls; they are required to return these balls to the parlor free of charge minus their wages.

Customers

A common action among players is to try and gain an advantage over the parlors by manipulating their machines in any way possible without being caught. One of these actions is to jam the throttle of the machine by wedging items such as coins, telephone cards, and nails into it. The purpose of this is to allow the player to fix the throttle at the best setting possible and relax their wrists. This action is banned, but the rule is rarely enforced as it is difficult for parlor staff to differentiate between an unjammed throttle and a jammed one. Some parlors have begun to give out cardboard chips that can be safely used for this purpose in order to prevent damage to the machines.

Another action is to apply force to the machine, typically on the top ball tray or the front screen, when the digital slot machine is about to give the final outcome of a spin. This is a method for players to vent their anger, but many machines on this happening give out jackpots. This is another banned but rarely enforced action in parlors.

There is an active group of people worldwide who collect and modify pachinko machines. Designs on these machines change to suit fashion, so a particular one of the past would be considered valuable. As an international export to collectors and hobbyists, pachinko machines are played for fun rather than for profit in homes.

Regulations

Etiquette

In Japan, there are many unwritten rules of conduct for pachinko players and everyone is expected to conform to them or be asked to leave that particular establishment or even be put under arrest. For example, parlor staff members are not supposed to tell a player where they can exchange their tokens for cash because of legality issues, so players are expected to find out this information on their own; it is taboo to touch another player's winnings. Additionally, players are not allowed to take over a pachinko machine if there are personal possessions that belong to another player in the tray, such as a cell phone or a box of cigarettes. Smoking is allowed in parlors, although there are discussions in Japan to extend public smoking controls to pachinko parlors.[11]

Children

Children are not allowed inside the pachinko parlors, mainly because of alcohol and smoking that may cause accidental burns rather than secondhand smoke. Children often accompany grandparents or relatives who gamble, as strict enforcement would anger customers. There is a children's version of pachinko held at night markets and festivals in Taiwan that are home-made with plywood and nails. It uses glass marbles instead of steel balls and prizes include toys and candy. This children's version is considered as a carnival game and electrical versions have now appeared in arcades.

Crime

Due to its borderline legality, pachinko has a close relationship with the police. When pachinko was accepted as a relatively harmless leisure activity in previous years, this was not the case. With the growing public and political pressure in recent years, the police are more active in regulating parlors and they often send retired officers to become board members of pachinko companies.

Most pachinko parlors are required to pay an unofficial gambling tax, gathered from players' winnings, as a form of bribe to the police for tolerating their what would otherwise be illegal. The police will usually only shut down parlors if they significantly alter the payout odds of their machines when in use, or by any means cause players to lose an intolerable amount of money. Hence, unexpected raids on suspicious parlors to search for such alterations are common.

The police can tolerate well the level of gambling in pachinko parlors. For example, in May 2005, a particular parlor in Kanagawa prefecture reported to the local police that someone had counterfeited their tokens and made off with the equivalent of US$60,000 in cash by trading them in at their nearby exchange center. Even with such information proving that this parlor was illegally operating an exchange center, which by law must be independent from the parlor, the police did not shut them both down, but instead only worked to track down the thief in question.[12]

Gambling within the private industry is illegal, but pachinko parlors are not considered by authorities as definitely gambling and are therefore not centers of illegal activity. Any potential illegal activity is evaluated on a case by case basis; even then, only the most obvious offenders will be shut down. Attitudes towards pachinko vary in Japan from being considered a way to make a living to being stigmatized. Taiwan is another region currently undergoing a pachinko craze as it bypasses the law; hence crime organizations run many parlors there as it provides a front for loan sharks, money launderers, escort services, and gaining investment income.

Ball designs

Pachinko balls are forbidden to be removed from a parlor to be used elsewhere. To help prevent this, many parlors have a design or name engraved in each ball vended so that someone can be spotted carrying a tray of balls brought from the outside. This has led some to start collections of pachinko balls with various designs.

See also

References

  1. ^ "How the Game Works". Faculty.ccp.edu. http://faculty.ccp.edu/faculty/dreed/Campingart/pachinko/game.htm. Retrieved 2009-11-09. 
  2. ^ Plotz, David (2008-11-04). "Japan Society, New York - Pachinko Nation". Japansociety.org. http://www.japansociety.org/pachinko_nation. Retrieved 2009-11-09. 
  3. ^ "Pachinko parlors are coining it in". Reuters. The Standard, Hong Kong. 2005-08-08. http://www.thestandard.com.hk/stdn/std/Focus/GH08Dh01.html. Retrieved 2011-06-25. 
  4. ^ "A little about the machines". Faculty.ccp.edu. http://faculty.ccp.edu/faculty/dreed/Campingart/pachinko/about.htm. Retrieved 2009-11-09. 
  5. ^ Pachinko Summary | BookRags.com
  6. ^ a b "Modern vs Vintage Pachinko Machines". Vintagepachinko.com. http://www.vintagepachinko.com/information/vintage-vs-modern-pachinko.htm. Retrieved 2009-11-09. 
  7. ^ "Electrical notes". Faculty.ccp.edu. http://faculty.ccp.edu/faculty/dreed/Campingart/pachinko/electrical.htm. Retrieved 2009-11-09. 
  8. ^ How to Play Pachinko
  9. ^ Kushner, David (2010-10-01). "The Secret Life of Pachinko". IEEE Spectrum. http://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/consumer-electronics/gaming/the-secret-life-of-pachinko. Retrieved 2 October 2010. 
  10. ^ a b c d 手塚 理恵 Rie Teszuka (1996-04). パチンコ 釘で勝つ本. 双葉社. 
  11. ^ (English) Shores, Trey (2006-05-26). "A dying breed: Japan’s smokers are feeling the heat as the government slowly tackles tobacco". Metropolis. Archived from the original on 2006-07-11. http://web.archive.org/web/20060711140004/http://metropolis.japantoday.com/tokyo/635/feature.asp. Retrieved 2006-09-12. 
  12. ^ "Fraud Investigation: Pachinko parlor in Kawasaki loses 560 million yen due to counterfeit tokens". Shikoku News. 2005-05-16. http://www.shikoku-np.co.jp/national/social/article.aspx?id=20050516000432. Retrieved 2007-03-30. [dead link]

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