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.