Ball Dispensing and Player Card System in Japan

[Bilko44]

I ran across this series of photos illustrating one company's pachinko ball dispensers and ball credit system used in many pachinko parlors in Japan.

Here we see the currency and coin acceptor unit beside each machine which accepts 100 & 500 yen coins and 1000 yen bills. Notice the LCD screen by the bill acceptor.



An accessory device attached to the game ball shooting tray will then dispense balls upon demand.



Above the game a digital display shows the number of balls you have purchased and have yet to dispense.



The LCD screen will allow you dispense your remaining balls to a ticket which can be redeemed for prizes or you may choose to have the credits stored onto your pachinko parlor's players club member card.



This illustrates the paper ticket used for prize redemption.



This shows the slot where the member card is inserted to post credits to the card. The card can then be moved to another game where the credits can be used to "rent" balls for play. Note; pachinko parlors do not sell balls: they "rent" them to the player and redeem them for prizes or credits when the player leaves the parlor. Balls are not to be taken from or into the parlor by patrons. Also notice the headphone jack that patrons can use to listen to the game or the programs on the LCD screen.



This card system allows the player to accumulate credits over time until they are ready to redeem the credits. Some parlors are linked and the card can be used in more than one parlor. Most cards are good in one parlor only.

[RKnarr01]

nice pics

[Bilko44]

RKnarr01,

Thanks!

Sorry about the fact that the pics weren't up when you originally read the post. The last line in my original post stated that pics would follow. Once posted, I remove the work in progress message.

I do it this way in case I end up having problems with pics and have to figure out what the problem is. This method allows me to get the text online and not risk losing my text as I come back and post the images.

[slotter]

Just a FYI: I see them all...

[logicprobe]

Looks great!
Thanks for the post, Bilko!
It answers a lot of questions I've had about how they do this over there!

Now... will you be getting a few of these for yourself? :wink:

[Bilko44]

As the owner of my own four game pachinko parlor, I have extended myself an unlimited line of credit in pachinko balls.

All I have to do is occasionally move the balls from the catch baskets to the hopper and play on. If I charged myself to play, by now, I would be living in a cardboard box beneath an overpass, telling passersby how I needed just a liitle more time on that cursed Chicken Heart game and I would have been rich!!!