Pachinko Machines

Pachinko Machines bring together the excitement of slot machines and the thrill of pinball machines.

It is believed that Pachinko Machines were first played in the Japanese city of Osaka. Today, Pachinko Machines are widely popular in Japan and are as ubiquitous as vending machines.

Pachinko was named after the word "pachi-pachi", which means the rings of little object bumping each other.

Since the Pachinko's invention, the Japanese have made the machines more colorful, exciting and catchy.

The objective of Pachinko is to be able to insert as many balls as possible into the holes in the board. Once a ball enters a hole, reels are activated, just like in your typical slot machine. If the reels stop containing the same picture, you win a particular number of balls.

You can then exchange the balls for various other gifts or you can use the balls to play more. Japanese laws forbid Pachinko Machines from directly paying out cash prices.

Some gifts are as simple as pens or cigarette lighters; others can be electronics, bicycles, 50 cc scooters or other items. Other pachinko parlors even give out vouchers for groceries at a nearby supermarket.

However, a ball exchange center is often located near, but independent from, the Pachinko parlor, where players can exchange their winning balls for cash. This is allowed by authorities since technically, the Pachinko parlors are separate from the exchange center.