Pachinko: A Very Japanese Gambling Addiction
They use upwards of 5 million kilowatts a year to run the parlors and even put a strain on the grid after the 2011 earthquake. The appetite for gambling in Japan appears to be more ravenous than the most depraved moments of the American alcohol prohibition and has no sign of stopping. Because Pachinko is technically not gambling there are no real rules on how old you have to be to play. Officially they say you have to be over 18 to be in a parlor but in practice that rule is hardly ever enforced.
