日本のカジノは外国人だけに開放？Pachinko industry and the new casino plan in Japan: First New Casino in Japan may not be open for Japanese

Gambling is illegal in Japan unless run under the special governmental permission like horse racing.

The Japanese government considers starting casino business to earn more money.  There is an interesting turn with this movement. It relates to the existing gambling industry Pachinko which run in a grey zone.

The ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan issued a statement on the casino plan. The statement says "Japanese people tend to get addicted to gambling more easily than the people from other nations. So the casino in Japan should not be open for Japanese citizen.".

The statement may sound fair. There are some countries opening their casinos only for foreigners. But I see something else behind.

Japan has a huge gambling business. This is not run under the special permission for gambling like horse race. It is called Pachinko. In horse racing, boat racing, motor bike racing in Japan, you bet on the winner and get cash(Japanese yen). This is clearly a gamble and subject to the relevant regulation.

In Pachinko, you play with a pin ball game like machine and collect balls. With these balls, you go to the gift counter of the Pachinko shop. You can only exchange the balls with non-cash product like chocolates, bags etc. there. So not gamble.

But at this gift shop you may also request for some kinds of products like just ordinary pens, or anything else. This is "the product for cash". If pen, you get these pens, go out side of Pachinko shop, you can "sell" these pens at a small kiosk kind of shop standing next to the Pachinko shop. Now you get the cash. The kiosuk kind of shop has nothing to do with the Pachinko shop, the Pachinko shop says.

I am not sure how you know find out which product is "the product for cash" , though, everyone in the Pachinko shop seems to know.

This Pachinko industry is super huge in Japan. With the sluggish economy in the country, you see less and less expensive advertisements in public. You still see a lot of Pachinko shop ads (and loan shark operators..) in Tokyo and anywhere else in Japan.

The industry hires many former police department high rank officers and from other ministries as their directors so that "the grey zone" the industry operates stays intact and can influence the government. Many government officers would like to earn extra after their retirement.

If the Japanese government starts the official casino which will be crystal clear legal, who will suffer? The Pachinko industry.  If the government can keep the official casino only for foreigners, Pachinko industry can keep their Japanese gamblers( and well, they also welcome foreigners too.).

I may be thinking too much but...having the above in mind, you may also guess what is possibly going on behind the Japanese government plan to keep Japanese away from the casino.



日本でのカジノの現実味が増してきた。

本日（2014年8月19日付）の時事通信の報道で、厚生労働省は、日本版カジノは日本人以外に開放するという議論がでている。その理由として、日本人はギャンブルへ依存しやすい傾向があるからという。

裏がありそうだ。

既存のギャンブル業界への影響を考えているのではないだろうか？大々的にカジノができてしまえば、既存の合法ギャンブル産業との競争は目に見える。パチンコのお客さんは今のまま保持し、カジノには海外のお客さんを呼べれば競争制限ができる。

日本人はギャンブルへ依存しやすい傾向が問題なら、パチンコ産業も廃止するのが妥当ではないか？

日本の経済にもっともよい方法を見出してほしい。

これから明らかになっていくことだと思う。