Gov't estimates 3.2 mil Japanese suffer from gambling addiction

They seem not working all day long, probably almost everyday. Small money will become a lot of money they lose. They would become pachinko game-holic finally.

But gambling is illegal in Japan? How can it be that there are so many addicted to it?

While the survey organizer said the data for Japan could not be strictly compared with other countries due to differences in methodology, 

Why even try to make comparisons? Unless the objective is to make it seem like the problem isn't as bad as these figures state.

In my opinion the number has to be much higher than this as there is no way the casual gamblers, are going to keep all these pachinko and slot places up and running. It's the addicts.

A quick look on google shows that there are over 10,000 pachinko/slot parlors across the country.

Sad how a government doesn't care about people and only wants to help companies enslave addicts

Easy fix really, close them all down.....ahhh silly me I forgot it's big business with politicians in their pockets and tax revenues.

Here's a novel idea. How about making the lives of the average joe a little better by enforcing proper labour practices so the majority of Japanese workers can actually enjoy life and it may stem the flow of those heading to these Pachinko parlours to escape the monotony that is their lives! The labour practices of this country boil down to human trafficking When people can't go anywhere else. It's no wonder dual language proficiency isn't enforced. They would be immigrating in droves to a better lives and working conditions.

establish a system by the end of fiscal 2022 to limit online race betting. Currently, race betting in Japan is legally restricted to horse, powerboat, bicycle and motorcycle racing.

Another bunch of fudged figures coming straight from the government sanctioned Kyodo. These figures do not include Pachinko because it is not considered a form of gambling, thus keeping the figures low. I live in a smallish town on the outskirts of the city. There are five very large Pachinko Palors at the station and the carparks are packed every Friday and Saturday night. There is also a large line up of people every morning busting to get in to play their favorite machine. The last figures I saw were, 18% of Japanese play Pachinko and half of that 18% have addiction issues. That's a heck of a lot more than 3.2 million people. Pachinko and slot machines are gambling and should be included in these figures.

And yet they want casinos. Go figure.

Deregulating gambling in a country which already have a high suicide rate would be suicidal (no pun intended). Look at what it did to oz (1 suicide/day attributed to gambling addiction).

Not even talking about DV, other crimes & social/health/work etc issues. Japan must/should learn from the mistakes of others, especially her APAC neighbours which have had an even bigger pbm for years (oz n1, HK, Singapore and NZ all in the top 10). Pbm is, govts get addicted to gambling $ and couldn't care less about their ppl. Easy money. Don't go there, japan.

But gambling is illegal in Japan?

Gambling for MONEY is illegal in Japan. It's not illegal to gamble for ball bearings or slot coins which are later "purchased" from the gambler. A loophole in the law.

Around 3.2 million Japanese people have likely suffered from gambling addiction,

The way this sentence is written (past perfect grammar) indicates that they are no longer addicted

Total poppycock, the number is much higher

One wonders why the government turns a blind eye to the little window at the back of pachinko "parlours" where you can exchange tokens for cash.

I have never been in a pachinko parlor, but in our town there are T.U.C (don't know what that stands for) shops that are off-property, where the exchange takes place.

Pachinko is more of a national activity than Baseball or Sumo because it's open to all.

Gov't estimates 3.2 mil Japanese suffer from gambling addiction

You gotta pump those numbers up! Those are rookie numbers!

Gambling addiction? Well, there certainly are a lot of people in the government who like to gamble with our pensions!

Gambling for MONEY is illegal in Japan. It's not illegal to gamble for ball bearings or slot coins which are later "purchased" from the gambler. A loophole in the law.

If that's the case, why will I be arrested if I set up blackjack, poker and roulette games where people use chips (not money) to place bets and receive winnings?

Sensei258 - thanks - I'd never heard of TUC. Apparently, it stands for Tokyo Union Circulation and is a group which regulates the exchange rate between pachinko balls and cash and is an affiliate of TSR (Tokyo Shogyo Ryutsu Kumiai), a wholesaler of prizes to Tokyo pachinko parlors. One can imagine what type of people they're staffed with and what might happen to parlors who buck this union.

https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E5%95%86%E6%A5%AD%E6%B5%81%E9%80%9A%E7%B5%84%E5%90%88

I believe those TUC shops are operated by former police officers. That's why the police won't close down pachinko parlours: they get a cut of the profits.

lets face it there is only one winner when it comes to gambling, so why would the government close slot and gambling establishments down as its a good revenue earner.... in the above article it never stated any thing about how much money is generated for the government !! so if the government give a little back for "counciling" there still up on the deal.

Gambling for MONEY is illegal in Japan. It's not illegal to gamble for ball bearings or slot coins which are later "purchased" from the gambler. A loophole in the law.

Sarcasm doesn't come across too well does it?

Dude I know, I have been here in Japan longer than you've been alive, and playing pachinko on and off the entire time!

PM Abe still wants Casino in Japan.

This gambling is insane.

@Scrote - I believe those TUC shops are operated by former police officers. That's why the police won't close down pachinko parlours: they get a cut of the profits.

Nah, sorry mate, you're wrong. Pachinko is not illegal because you don't gamble for money. You gamble for gifts and/or tokens, which can be exchanged for cash at a nearby shop. Because of this 'loop hole', Pachinko is totally unregulated. The noise and bright lights are designed to create a kind of gambling trance for the uneducated sheeple who blindly keep trading their cash for tokens. It seems to work pretty well too.

I believe there are more 'people addicted to betting activities than the article mentioned. Because Pachinko houses give prizes,, pachinko are not in the category of gambling in Japan. If you want to know what kind of people operate prize exchange businesses, brave yourself to interview them. The exchanged prizes are back to Pachinko Parlors. Before about all of you were born, Kim's grandfather create Pachinko business in Japan so that Koreans living in Japan can live like people. And that worked more than well.

If this investigation includes counting of higher income people who are customers of BAKUCHI-BA, addiction rates will be a lot higher.

Japanese government needs to be concerned that pachinko addicted parents leave their children in cars in hot summer.

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The gambling addicts need a better way to use their money and improve their own economy . . . . Perhaps they should consider investing some of their gambling money into self-improvement courses . . . .

I'll leave pachinko and slots to the idiots who think there is skill and a system to something which is based on the outcome of a RNG chip. They deserve to be addicts to something that can't be beat. Build the casinos for people who actually enjoy having a good time and don't need to arrive 2 hours before the place opens to get the "best machine."

Nah, sorry mate, you're wrong. Pachinko is not illegal because you don't gamble for money. You gamble for gifts and/or tokens, which can be exchanged for cash at a nearby shop.

But that doesn't answer my earlier question as to why, if I set up a blackjack table where people use chips instead of money, I will be arrested. Would it be OK if they used pachinko balls instead of chips? I doubt it.

Operating blackjack is illegal in Japan. In casino, either you buy chips at cage or at table. All cash transaction. Casinos use Shufflemastter. for shuffling and an assigned dealer lets one of customer to take one card out. Carwilll be dealt. You. use hand to signal o moorrrrre car. Then if your cards are 21 yyoou willlll yell. Yoooou have to cash chaos brcase casinos change chi types every day.

toshiko: what if there was a completely separate shop buying and selling the chips, just like pachinko? Why is my blackjack table illegal if there is no cash involved? Let's make it a roulette table, which has a completely random outcome, no "skill" involved at all, just like pachinko. Why is the roulette table illegal and pachinko not?

Is there a law that specifically allows pachinko, but forbids roulette? Or is it just a case of police corruption that allows pachinko to exist?

Illegal because no one registered a table game to Japanese gov't. And in Japan, there are too many yakuza who are itchy to separate hand and wrist of would be gambling business man.

Police does not issue business license.

Casinos are built for the Olympic tourists.