Up to 900,000 Japanese residents may be affected by pachinko addiction, a recent study by non-governmental organizations dealing with problem gambling behavior showed. Here it is also important to note that the country has population of around 127 million people (World Bank:2016), which means that around 0.07% of the country’s residents may be suffering from addiction triggered by the popular gaming machines.
The study was commissioned by the Pachinko Recovery Support Network, known to be an Okinawa-based NGO that is working with people with pachinko addiction. As many as 9,000 people aged between 18 and 79, both men and women, from different parts of the country were interviewed for the purposes of the research.
Based on the number of people who said that their mental health and lives had been in any way affected by the pachinko machines, scholars and other participants in the preparation of the report estimated that close to a million of Japan’s whole population could be struggling with one form of pachinko addiction or another.
Pachinko is among the few legal gambling options in Japan and probably the most popular one. Generally speaking, pachinko machines encompass features of traditional slot machines and of pinball ones. Multiple concerns about their addictiveness and proliferation have been voiced over the years, but groups like the Pachinko Recovery Support Network feel as if not enough measures have been taken to curb the gambling addiction issue.
Many also believe that problem gambling behavior is yet to become a bigger problem in Japanese society with the future opening of casinos in the country. The country’s government legalized casino gambling late last year and is currently crafting a new legislation that would regulate the gambling industry in future.
While the investment potential that would come with the construction of integrated resorts with casino floors has been recognized by almost everyone, there are growing concerns on how expanded gambling would affect Japan’s residents.
Japan’s Casino Legalization Process
As mentioned above, the Japanese Diet, as the country’s government is locally referred to as, approved the provision of casino-style gambling services in the country. However, that approval would mean nothing without a separate legislation that would set the rules and principles under which the industry would be regulated in future.
Work on that new legislative piece began early in 2017 and it is believed that Japanese lawmakers are entering the final stages of its preparation. The bill is expected to be introduced during an extraordinary Diet session this fall and is hoped to be voted in favor of by the end of the year.
According to initial plans, the government will approve the construction of between two and three integrated resorts in the country with those featuring casino floors, among other entertainment facilities.
A specially appointed panel issued its recommendations for the way Japan’s casino industry should be regulated earlier this month. The recommendations included the introduction of certain limitations in relation to the resorts’ casino floors. Panel members recommended that casinos occupy no more than 15,000 square meters.
In addition, Japanese nationals could face restrictions on the number of times they will be able to visit casinos weekly and monthly and on how long they could stay at casinos. Said restrictions are aimed to address namely concerns over the potential increase in problem gambling rates in future.
