Gaming machines add up to 7.4 million
A study by Gaming Technologies Association shows there are 7.4 million legal gaming machines all around the globe.
Japan.- Gaming machines are a key part of the industry as a top revenue generator. That’s why the Australian company, Gaming Technologies Association, conducted a study on the vertical which includes 7.4 million units worldwide.
GTA revealed its “World Count of Gaming Machines”, which covers last year and includes all types of machines. Slot machines; video lottery terminals; video gaming machines; amusements with payouts; pachinko and pachislot machines; and electronic gaming tables. The report featured gaming machines in casinos, on cruise boats, in clubs, bars, at racing venues and in amusement parlours.
Out of the total, 58% are in Japan. That means 4.3 million units remain in the archipelago, despite a 4.9% decline year-on-year.
Gaming machines in Japan involve, mainly, pachinkos and pachislots, as there’s no operating casino industry yet.
“These machines have been included in the World Count however as the winning tokens or balls are exchanged for merchandise at the parlour and then in turn for cash from businesses that operate nearby,” the GTA report explained.
Japan’s plans against problem gambling
The casino segment will soon arrive in Japan and the government wants to take action to push responsible gambling. That’s why the government revealed Japan’s anti-gambling-addiction plan back in April.
The “basic plan of gambling addiction countermeasures” covers three years from fiscal year 2019 and affects the whole industry. Therefore, it includes operators of pachinko parlours, and gambling venues like horse racing and keirin cycle racing tracks.
The government has asked them to remove cash withdrawal machines from their facilities, reported news agency Kyodo reported.
“We will create a healthy society by implementing thorough measures based on the basic plan in order to prevent people from finding themselves in difficult situations,” said Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga during a government meeting.
