Last month, more than 100 pachinko parlors in Japan joined hundreds more that have closed up shop since the end of fiscal 2019.
A monthly report from the All-Japan Amusement Business Cooperative Association showed that its total membership is down to 8,063, versus 8,710 before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. At the end of March, the number of pachinko machines at its member stores was 2,190,000 down more than 31,500 from the previous month, with pachislot machines at 1.4 million, a decrease of 20,770.
According to Asia Gaming Brief, pachinko faces multiple challenges beyond the pandemic, including tighter regulations and a declining customer base. Younger Japanese players prefer mobile games over visits to pachinko parlors.
