Smart Pachinko introduction reduces need for ball counting systems

Smart pachinko machines, known in Japan as "Sumapachi," began being introduced in April 2023 and record ball data directly on IC cards, according to an independent reference entry on per-machine counting systems¹. Because the pachinko balls are sealed inside the machine and the difference in ball count is written straight to the card, the entry states that counting balls is not necessary in the first place¹.

The technology it displaces is the per-machine counting system, which places a measuring unit on each pachinko or pachislot machine to manage payouts¹. Under the older setup, balls won were dropped into trays, and at the end of play the player carried the tray to a counter (a "jet counter") to measure the payout¹. The entry says the industry traces the current system to a reference exhibit by Mars Engineering in 2005, with full-scale introduction starting in 2007¹. As of September 2009, Mars Engineering alone had reached a cumulative 452 stores with installations¹. In 2011, Universal Entertainment announced what the entry describes as the industry's first per-machine counting system for pachislot machines¹.

The entry lists advantages for players, including the ability to check the ball count in real time during play¹. It also notes drawbacks. Because cash balance and ball data are recorded on a single card, a player who uses up their balls and leaves the seat may have a card with a remaining cash balance stolen, and the entry says it can be settled at a payout machine¹. It also says that because payouts are not displayed in the aisles, it is harder for a hall to create a sense of how much is being paid out across the store, and that some stores kept per-machine counting only in their 1-yen pachinko sections while returning 4-yen sections to the original tray-and-counter system¹.

The entry links the older tray system to safety concerns. It says trays placed in store aisles narrowed walkways and obstructed pedestrians, and that in the July 2009 Osaka pachinko parlor arson and murder case, trays left in the aisles were identified as a possible obstacle during evacuation¹.

What it means for players

For anyone playing pachinko in Japan, the shift changes the mechanics of a session rather than the rules of the game. On a Sumapachi machine, balls stay inside the cabinet, so there is no tray to carry, no waiting for staff to swap trays during a run of wins, and no trip to a counter at the end¹. The ball count is visible on the machine while play continues¹.

The card becomes the single record of both balls and cash. The entry warns that a card left behind with a cash balance on it can be taken and settled¹. Players on older machines in halls that still run tray-and-counter systems keep the previous routine, and the entry notes some stores run both systems side by side depending on the section¹.

What happens next

The entry states that because Sumapachi machines do not require payout counting, the need for per-machine counting systems may decline in future¹. It does not report a timetable, a target for removing existing systems, or any operator announcement on the matter. No figure has been reported for how many halls have installed Sumapachi machines or how many still run per-machine counting. For where pachinko sits in the wider regional picture, see Asian gambling games and whether you can gamble in Japan.