Pachinko Slots for the Japanese Player

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Pachinko is a popular Japanese game that is very similar to a pinball machine. It is also known as Pachislo. In order to play this game the player has to buy a number of small balls that are fed into the machine one at a time. The player can control the initial speed of the ball using a knob. The ball falls through the Pachinko machine and one of two outcomes result. Either the ball falls to the bottom of the machine and is lost to the player. Or the ball falls into one of the pockets inside the machine and yields a jackpot.

Pachinko was first introduced early in the 20th century as a children's game. Around 1930 Pachinko became popular as an adult pastime. However during World War II the game was banned. After the war Pachinko was resumed and its popularity has kept on soaring since then. Till 1980 the Pachinko machines were mechanical devices with electricity being used only to flash lights when the player hit a jackpot. After that electronic features were incorporated into the game, much in the same way that video slots have revolutionized the slot machine. Today in Japan Pachinko parlors are found in every nook and cranny. They are much like arcade dens in other parts of the world - overcrowded, noisy and garishly lit.

One of the problems that arise with land-based Pachinko machines is that gambling for cash is illegal in Japan. Therefore, usually players win additional balls when they hit a jackpot. In some Pachinko parlors players are given tokens which they are able to secretively cash at some other location. This problem is overcome in online casinos that offer Pachinko style online slot games. Some software providers that focus on the Asian online gambling market provide such games in their portfolio. Playtech is one such online gaming software provider.

The Pachinko slot game that Playtech offers is called Dolphin Paradise Pachinko. It is found in the Asian Games section. The screen shows two dolphins leaping out of the waves at the top. Below the dolphins are the reels and on the sides are children, depicted in typical Japanese Animax style, enjoying themselves. Balls are launched from the top and fall through the obstacles. If they fall to the bottom there is no payout. If the ball falls into the launcher then the player wins 4 balls and also activates the slot game. In this game, players can win up to 1500 times their original bet. There are three paylines on the reels. These are the central vertical line and the two diagonal lines. If the numbers in the top and bottom rows match in any of the paylines then the middle number is determined by a Mini Game. These Mini Games feature dolphins in a number of activities like racing with a shark, jumping through hoops and hitting balls. In the racing with the shark game, called Dolphin Race, the middle number is determined by the number of the winning dolphin. If after the Mini Game all three numbers match then the channel at the bottom of the machine opens up and catches each of the next 15 balls. Each ball offers a payout of 100 balls and therefore the total payout is 1500 balls. The game parameters are displayed on the right of the screen.

Find more info about Pachinko here at Wikipedia!

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