Gambling for cash is illegal in Japan, but the widespread popularity of low-stakes pachinko in Japanese society has enabled a specific legal loophole allowing it to exist.
Modern pachinko machines have both mechanical and electrical components. Pachinko parlors are widespread in Japan, and usually also feature a number of slot machines (called pachislo or pachislots) so these venues look and operate similarly to casinos. Pachinko fills a niche in Japanese gambling comparable to that of the slot machine in the West as a form of low-stakes, low-strategy gambling. Pachinko ( パチンコ) is a mechanical game originating in Japan that is used as an arcade game, and much more frequently for gambling. A modern pachinko machine A pachinko parlor in Tokyo
