How is Pachinko legal in Japan but Poker is not?

11 comments

1. Legal grandfathering. The loophole is only open for those who have crossed the line in time

2. Legalizing gambling is not a popular stance for politicians to take.

3. Pachinko requires investment to create as a business. Poker can be set up for basically no money by anyone. The law is an artificial hurdle designed to make gambling benefit the people who already have money. Also, pachinko isn’t “legal” as gambling. That part is handled by organized crime in bed with police and politicians.

   Welcome to the very basic fundamental realities of humanity.

4. This is because the pachinko industry has become a place of descent for police bureaucrats. Horse racing is handled by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry for bicycle and auto racing. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism for boat races. Japan is a bureaucratic state, and it does not allow gambling that does not benefit the bureaucrats, but since a casino resort is scheduled to be built in Osaka, it is likely that some organization will benefit from the casino resort.

5. Pachinko pays alot of people under the table its all mafia owned. Also a casino will open at some point in japan, poker legalization will prob follow

6. I think the customers who play pachinko are not the same as those that would play poker.

   Yokohama rejected a casino which would have brought money and jobs to the city and would have definitely been a place to play poker for money however citizens voted for in an anti-casino mayor.

7. There are plenty of poker tournaments in Japan. They can’t pay out cash, but they do pay out prizes. For larger tournaments, the prizes will typically be entries into larger tournaments — both domestically and internationally.

   Tokyo has several big poker weekends through out the year to win entries to tournaments in Korea, Manila and Macau. Those you can win actual cash in to bring back.

8. I think plainly because it is too difficult, unpopular, controversial, and potentially dangerous for any politician to try to really go out and remove pachinko. Much like tobacco, you will need to fight a multi billion dollar industry with stakeholders from top to bottom of societal power ladder, yakuza and north korean involvement, and millions of addicts who will hate you if you touch their hobby. It doesn’t win vote.

9. Japan is a law abiding country.

   I realized just how law abiding they are when I noticed how many drivers go up one way streets the wrong way by reversing to their destination.

   Its way more important to seem to obey the law than actually following it to the letter.

10. Same as betting on horses and soaplands. A smart guy created a loophole once and over the years it became „tradition“ and nobody wants to be the politician who changed „traditions“, especially not in Japan. Also, like someone else already said, national poker tournaments usually serve as qualification for bigger international events, so you get cash there if you make it.

11. They already passed laws to gamble. There’s plans to open casinos in Osaka and Yokohama already.