Pachinko is a Japanese gaming device similar to pinball and slot machines. It originated as a children’s game but evolved into an adult pastime. Prizes include tokens and coupons, but cash prizes are illegal. Modern machines have a digital slot machine and use the kakuhen system to increase odds of jackpots. Pachinko parlors can set up machines to offer better or worse odds and may offer information to club members. Machines may pay better during holidays.
Pachinko is a gaming device originating in Japan that is similar in concept to the slot machine. Pachinko is also similar to pinball, as the player releases balls into the machine which travel through a set of pins to drop into slots in the bottom of the machine. Getting balls into certain combinations of slots results in a win. The original pachinko machines were entirely mechanical, but now most are partially computerized.
Pachinko originated in the 1920s as a children’s game, but by the 1930s it had evolved into an adult pastime. Today there are many pachinko parlors in Japan and Taiwan. Prizes, tokens for multiple balls, and supermarket coupons are some common prizes for winning pachinko, and it is illegal to offer cash prizes in Japan. However, many establishments are attached to an exchange center which allows customers to exchange their winnings for cash at a percentage of their actual value.
Modern pachinko machines incorporate a digital slot machine and the goal is to get three matching numbers or symbols in a row. After the first win, the machine goes into payout mode, in which a large gate opens at the bottom of the board. The player must try to throw as many balls into the gate as possible to earn a jackpot.
Most pachinko machines use the kakuhen system, where certain winning combinations increase the odds of successive jackpots by ten. If the jackpot is not a kakuhen combination, the game enters jitan mode, where the central gate becomes easier to throw balls over the next 100 spins. If no other jackpot is hit during the jitan period, the machine reverts to its original mode.
Pachinko machines can be set up by the establishment to offer better or worse odds, resulting in not all machines in the parlor paying the same price. Sometimes, pachinko parlors offer information about which machines pay the best to people who join their club. However, competition for good cars is high among those in the know. Pachinko parlors also commonly set their machines to pay better during the holidays to keep casual players coming back.
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