Japan currently features more gambling machines than any other country. Japan slot machines could also outnumber the world as well.
An Australian study dubbed the “World Count of Gambling Machines” notes that Japan has 7.4 million pachinko machines.
Every nation except Japan classifies pachinko as gambling. Therefore, the report notes that Japan easily crushes second-place USA (899k machines) in terms of gambling terminals.
Italy came in at No. 3 in the report with 320k gambling machines. Germany and Australia both feature 278k and 196k terminals, respectively.
“Pachinko is similar to a vertical pinball game,” the report notes.
“The ball cascades down through various pins and into certain locations that can result in more balls being released. The more balls that are obtained the larger the value of the prize.”
Japan Slot Machines on the Horizon
Japan legalized casino gambling last year. They are expected to build multiple casino resorts within the next few years.
This country has already proven that it loves gambling through pachinko games. They’ll likely feature numerous slot machines as well.
Japan is unlikely to boast 7.4 million slot machines like they do pachinko games. However, they could still top the USA in terms of slot machines.
Casinos Still Need to Be Sorted Out
Japanese gaming regulators are still sorting out who should receive the casino licenses.
MGM Resorts and Las Vegas Sands are believed to be the favorites right now. They would likely build in Osaka and Tokyo if they win.
Japanese lawmakers have imposed strict requirements on the casinos. The gambling floors can’t exceed three percent of the entire resort.
Assuming Japan is to lead the world in slot machines, they may need to lighten their laws.
Then again, they might not care about having a massive number of slot machines. Their pachinko market is already big enough.