New technical specification interpretation standards take effect for gaming machines in Japan

Japan's National Police Agency (NPA) has brought amended Technical Specification Interpretation Standards for gaming machines into force, effective 23 August 2024. The notification, issued by the Security Division chief of the NPA's Community Safety Bureau, sets out how the technical standards in the rules on gaming machine certification and type testing are to be interpreted¹.

The amended standards cover the interpretation of provisions in Attachments 2 through 5 of the Ordinance on Certification and Type Testing of Gaming Machines (National Public Safety Commission Ordinance No. 4 of 1985)¹.

The document sets out detailed interpretation rules across several areas. On ball launch devices, a machine whose launcher can fire more than 100 balls in any continuous one minute period falls foul of the standard, while a launcher firing exactly 100 balls in any continuous one minute does not¹. On minimum play time, one play must take at least 4.1 seconds¹. On payout ceilings tied to certain bonus types, the standards specify ranges: for medals, more than 225 and not more than 300; for balls, more than 1,125 and not more than 1,500¹. For the first type of special bonus, the termination condition is set at more than 300 medals or more than 1,500 balls; for the second type, more than 168 medals or more than 840 balls¹.

The standards also address reel stopping. A machine may vary the time from activating the reel stop device until the reel stops within 190 milliseconds, or within 75 milliseconds for reels that stop within 75 milliseconds under the relevant provision¹. On one ratio, the document states that a figure of 10/73 or above is acceptable¹. The interpretation also states that "ten hours" means ten hours with no extension whatsoever¹.

The notification states that where a machine's performance conflicts with a prohibited item in the interpretation and is found in the market, the type certification for that machine will be revoked under Article 11 of the gaming machine ordinance¹.

What it means for players

The standards govern how gaming machines are assessed for certification in Japan, so they shape which machines can legally reach parlors. Machines found in the market that conflict with the prohibited items face type certification revocation, which can remove them from operation. The rules cover technical matters such as launch rates, payout ceilings, reel stop timing and play duration rather than the price of play or where gambling is permitted. For anyone playing pachinko or pachislot in Japan, the practical effect is on the machines on the floor and their certified behavior, not on the legal status of the activity itself. Details of how the changes apply to specific machine types have not been reported beyond the notification text.

What happens next

The amended standards took effect on 23 August 2024, and the previous notification was abolished the day before. No further steps are set out in the notification.

For background on how gambling is regulated in the country, see Can I Gamble in Japan? and Gambling Laws in Asia: What Is Legal in 12 Jurisdictions. Rules on machines outside casinos are covered in Arcade Prize Games and Gaming Machines Outside Casinos: The Law, and recent regulatory changes are tracked in Recent and Pending Gambling Law Changes in Asia.