Only less than 1% of Foreigners Ever Played Pachinko or Pachislot? We conducted a survey.

長北真 Pachinko the WORLD！海外と外国人とジャパニーズパチンコ事情

Hello to those who read the last article and a warm welcome to newcomers. I am Makoto from Global Pachinko Inc.

Last time, we talked about what happens after we get foreigners into the parlors. This time, I'm leaning more towards discussing the challenges of getting them there.

★I tried picking up foreigners in Osaka.

▲Essential items for Pachinko Tour. Cash is just in case for exchange. Earplugs are crucial.

Jumping topics, aren't we? Yes, we are! Because the tours we do regularly are now more laid-back, maybe 1-2 times a month, using various private tour sites, so not much to tell really! Including a bit of older info might make the story fresher (like from around early October 2023).

So, on the request of the well-known Osaka Pachinko Hall "Freedom Tenroku," I spent about 10 days in Osaka conducting tours. The plan went like this:

■Gather participants over 3 days and conduct 7 days x 2 tours each, 4 hours each.
■Tour participation fee is 10,000 yen + game cost.
■Primarily gathering participants through flyers and verbal communication.

So what exactly did we do? Approached foreigners in busy areas and asked, 'Hey, wanna play some pachinko?' It sounds quite crazy when written down. Practically begging for a public nuisance charge. Being part of a corporation and all, messing up could bring trouble to Freedom, so we were extremely cautious.

Approaching people who seem lost to help them and then slipping in a flyer at the farewell saying, 'If you're interested, contact us!' Or if someone's taking photos, offering to take one for them and then casually mentioning our tour. Or hanging around pachinko parlors offering guidance to those who seem interested. Essentially, it's all about 'normal communication,' so it shouldn't be a nuisance, right? That's the theory. I even checked with local authorities, and they were like, 'Well, that sounds alright,' so I guess it's safe.

Then there were attempts like joining foreigners loitering in front of bars saying, 'Hey! Let's drink together!' or joining a group of foreigners partying till dawn in a nightclub. Super analog, like something out of the Showa era sales playbook.

After a hard push over 10 days distributing about 400 flyers, the result... utterly failed! If we're talking about 'the total number of visitors who actually made it to Freedom,' the answer is zero!!

However, 'the number of people who showed interest in pachinko itself' was decent, with about 20 people saying they'd be willing to 'try for an hour at a nearby shop.' So not a complete disaster, but as an exhibition, it was a failure (I walked around for about 12 hours a day, so the hourly wage was atrocious).

The main issue was a complete lack of research, and the fact that Freedom was nearly 5 kilometers from our gathering point, which isn't great for analog recruitment. Above all, the attributes of 'foreign tourists' have changed completely from a year ago!

★Personal tours have Increased Significantly.

As mentioned before, we've been doing this tour business for about a year. But I've been too busy with other businesses and setting up a company in the last six months to do much.

During that time, what happened in the foreign tour community is an explosion of personal tours (similar to what we're doing). While a year ago there were only a few, now there are more personal tour operators (corporations with multiple tour guides) than you can count.

The result? The 'casually strolling foreigner' has almost disappeared. A group of about five Western foreigners, which used to be 'families visiting Japan for fun,' has now changed to '1 living in Japan tour guide + 4 tourists.' That was quite a shock. There's more I'd like to write, but it would be a massive digression from the main topic, so I'll leave it here for now.

★Frustrated but not giving up, I conducted a 'Foreigner Pachinko Pachislot Survey.'

▲Initially done by hand, later on I used an app to conduct the survey!

So, as for whether I managed to bring anyone to Freedom, the answer is a resounding no, no results whatsoever! That's the immediate outcome.

But can I just let it be? My 10 days were void! Can't just accept it, right? As an adult, I need to bring something back, even from a loss! So, I started interviewing the people I approached midway, conducting what you call a survey. Even if defeated, I wanted to know why.The results were quite shocking, and I really want those in the pachinko industry to know, but first, what did I ask?

Target Audience: 349 not with family individuals under 19, especially from Western countries

Questions:
① Please tell us your nationality, age, and gender.
② Are you familiar with pachinko?
③ Would you like to try playing pachinko?
④ Have you actually played pachinko?
⑤ (For those who have played pachinko) What are your thoughts on pachinko?
⑥ (For those who have not played pachinko) Why didn't you play?
⑦ When playing pachinko, what do you think is the maximum amount you could lose per hour?

There were more detailed questions, and I also asked about their wishes regarding the content of the pachinko tours, but I'll skip that for now. Broadly speaking, it was divided into "What do you think about pachinko?" For simplicity, I won't delve into the detailed numbers based on nationality, age, or gender, but here are the general results.

Do you know Pachinko/Pachislot?
Blue=Yes、Orange=No

Do you interest on playing Pachinko/Pachislot?
Blue=Yes、Orange=No

Have you ever played Pachinko/Pachislot?
Blue=Yes、Orange=No

In your idea, how much would you in worst case scenario at playing pachinko/pachislot for one hour?
1%=Less than 10,000 yen
3%=Less than 30,000 yen
4%=Less than 50,000 yen
92%=More than 50,000 yen

Here are the results. I have some things to say about the numbers, but I don't want to introduce any biases, so before you read on, please take a moment to think about what you've just read. What are your thoughts?

Did you take a moment to think? Thank you. Now, let's summarize.

④ Have you actually played pachinko?
Played: 2 people, Not played: 347 people

⑦ When playing pachinko, what do you think is the maximum amount you could lose per hour?
Below 10,000 yen: 5 people, Below 30,000 yen: 10 people, Below 50,000 yen: 13 people, Over 50,000 yen: 321 people

These two were particularly shocking. So few have played! If we delve into the numbers a bit:

60% are aware of pachinko,
40% are interested in trying it,
0.57% have actually played.

Roughly speaking, about 1% of those interested in playing have actually gone in and played. What does this mean? And then, the answers to question ⑦ start to make sense.

321 out of 349 people believe they could lose more than 50,000 yen in just one hour of playing pachinko.

It's not per day, but per hour that they think they can lose over 50,000 yen.

Over 90% of the total believe that "stepping in without any knowledge could lead to devastating losses." Almost as if it's a post-apocalyptic scenario. It's somewhat understandable, given that pachinko is often introduced as "Japanese Casino" in foreign media. It's not incorrect, and perhaps even an appropriate expression.

However, unlike pachinko, casinos aren't expecting customers to come in daily, nor are they targeting the local population. It's the polar opposite of "entertainment for the masses," instead a pastime for the elite.

Sorry, I tend to have long introductions.

So, what am I trying to say? In casinos, you can decide how much you want to bet. So, in one hour, you can lose not just 50,000 yen but millions, even tens of millions. In fact, there are people who regularly lose such amounts. This perception is common worldwide. While there may be various reasons for this, compared to casinos, the notion of "pachinko as a form of mass entertainment" is something that perhaps needs to be communicated more effectively to foreigners and internationally."

We are seeking participants to experience pachinko through our pachinko tours!

Click here for pachinko tour information for foreigners

We have organized a special tour to introduce pachinko, a traditional Japanese form of entertainment, to our foreign friends. On this tour, you will be accompanied by an instructor who is fluent in English and well-versed in pachinko, providing detailed guidance from the basics to advanced techniques. Pachinko, known for its bright lights and unique sounds, has been a beloved game in Japan for over 80 years. Although the tour is just two hours, it offers a wealth of knowledge about pachinko's history and how to play!