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This sounds somewhat similar to the polite fiction of Japanese Pachinko parlors [1]. "Taniguchi swapped the tray of thousands of winning silver balls for a rec

This sounds somewhat similar to the polite fiction of Japanese Pachinko parlors [1]. "Taniguchi swapped the tray of thousands of winning silver balls for a receipt, which in turn was swappable for alcohol, toys or other prizes. To get money, you need to ask for the “special prize” tokens. These are plastic gold-coloured tokens that can be swapped for cash -- but not within the pachinko parlour. Instead, they are cashed in at TUC shops that are always located nearby and exist as a legal loophole enabling you to win money in a country that technically forbids gambling." 1 - http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20120815-the-big-business-of-japans-pachinko-parlours http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20120815-the-big-business-of...

Luc 9y ago
I looked for a picture of these tokens. There's one near the bottom of this page: https://jenleetravel.wordpress.com/2015/09/14/a-beginners-guide-to-pachinko-addiction/ https://jenleetravel.wordpress.com/2015/09/14/a-beginners-gu... It looks like these might be actual gold chips of 1g and 0.3g... She received 8500 yen, about $70 at the time. One gram of gold was about $48 at the time so it seems to fit.
- fuzzfactor 9y ago
  Interesting since the officially sealed plastic coin-collector style enclosures themselves would be more easily detected by the cashier if compromised compared to the supposedly gold bullion they contain. Obviating the need for the bullion to be more than just gold plated under most circumstances . . . And making the seals and/or enclosures almost as valuable as their face value in actual gold, since they could be substituted for the real thing at any price level and follow the same pricing fluctuations.
the_cat_kittles 9y ago
great travel story. it misses something that i felt in spades whenever i popped my head into a pachinko parlor: it is incredibly depressing. ive never seen slots in vegas but i imagine its similar. theres something incredibly reductive about sitting there watching balls bounce randomly and slowly losing money. especially knowing that people are hopelessly addicted to it. but, i get it. we are all capable of succumbing to things like this. the void is utterly palpable in those places.
- balabaster 9y ago
  Wow, I've been in about a dozen casinos in my life. I hated every minute I was in them. I had pre-budgeted a specific amount and when it was gone, it was gone. I could never really place my finger on what it was I disliked about them except that the games bored me. But it was so much more than that. I failed to connect the dots until exactly the moment I read your comment. There is a void, an abyss of loneliness and sorrow. Many of the people there are empty. Lost. An air of depression, desperation hangs in the air. It's like they've lost the will to live and this is their last hope at redemption that fades with every token they drop into the machines. As an empath, this emptiness, this void that you describe being so palpable. That cuts to the very core of how it makes me feel when I enter them and why I spend the entire time longing for the door. It's like the Dementor's Kiss for me. Thank you! Sincerely!
  - r00fus 9y ago
    Casinos are near-perfect skinner boxes [1]. An industry that thrives on exploiting human nature and destroying the subject in the process, little by little. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operant_conditioning_chamber https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operant_conditioning_chamber
    - balabaster 9y ago
      What always astounds me when I was in them is that everyone seemed oblivious to it. Their need for instant gratification, the pleasure centre in their brains triggered just enough to keep them ignoring the stress of their losses. Distracting them long enough to make them think they can win it all back and get back on top. It's like playing poker in an interrogation room with a good cop and a bad cop. The good cop comes in enough to make you think you're okay. It doesn't matter whether you're innocent and you only lose a day of work or you're guilty and lose your freedom, you still lose. People go in thinking they can beat the system and the rare few do, but most don't. Overall, the house always wins. That's why the doors are still open and they earn yearly profits of millions of dollars while a whole bunch of their patrons gradually lose their homes and the shirts on their backs.
fweespeech 9y ago
Except in this case, its almost certainly a violation of money laundering laws in the US. Tbh, part of me wonders if it would be perfectly legal if they sold an actual product at a massive markup (say, "designer chocolate"), provided "bonus tokens", and allowed refunds of the chocolate even if it was purchased with those tokens. I'm not aware of any laws that prevent the conversion of tokens to chocolate to refunds. Then again, a cryptocurrency is probably less hassle at this point than any of these fronts. https://bitcasino.io/ https://bitcasino.io/ And I guess I'm not the only one to conclude that.
- sokoloff 9y ago
  Though these are generally discussed in terms of their tax or financial domain, the step doctrine and substance over form doctrines would preclude those actions from being legal just because there is an intermediate step inserted. I don't know of their specific applicability (or not) w.r.t. money laundering. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Step_transaction_doctrine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Step_transaction_doctrine
  - fweespeech 9y ago
    Fair enough. xD The law isn't something I'm well versed in. It just seemed odd that loophole existed in Japan.
armenarmen 9y ago
I'm finishing a novel where an app has the same functionality for street level dealers. Money laundering is fascinating.
- kennethologist 9y ago
  Which novel?
PhasmaFelis 9y ago
I love stories like these. I wonder what the Japanese equivalent is, in terms of "bizarre tourist experiences"? I bet there's equally breathless articles somewhere about American gun ranges, for example.

Luc 9y ago

I looked for a picture of these tokens. There's one near the bottom of this page: https://jenleetravel.wordpress.com/2015/09/14/a-beginners-guide-to-pachinko-addiction/ https://jenleetravel.wordpress.com/2015/09/14/a-beginners-gu... It looks like these might be actual gold chips of 1g and 0.3g... She received 8500 yen, about $70 at the time. One gram of gold was about $48 at the time so it seems to fit.

fuzzfactor 9y ago
Interesting since the officially sealed plastic coin-collector style enclosures themselves would be more easily detected by the cashier if compromised compared to the supposedly gold bullion they contain. Obviating the need for the bullion to be more than just gold plated under most circumstances . . . And making the seals and/or enclosures almost as valuable as their face value in actual gold, since they could be substituted for the real thing at any price level and follow the same pricing fluctuations.

the_cat_kittles 9y ago

great travel story. it misses something that i felt in spades whenever i popped my head into a pachinko parlor: it is incredibly depressing. ive never seen slots in vegas but i imagine its similar. theres something incredibly reductive about sitting there watching balls bounce randomly and slowly losing money. especially knowing that people are hopelessly addicted to it. but, i get it. we are all capable of succumbing to things like this. the void is utterly palpable in those places.

balabaster 9y ago
Wow, I've been in about a dozen casinos in my life. I hated every minute I was in them. I had pre-budgeted a specific amount and when it was gone, it was gone. I could never really place my finger on what it was I disliked about them except that the games bored me. But it was so much more than that. I failed to connect the dots until exactly the moment I read your comment. There is a void, an abyss of loneliness and sorrow. Many of the people there are empty. Lost. An air of depression, desperation hangs in the air. It's like they've lost the will to live and this is their last hope at redemption that fades with every token they drop into the machines. As an empath, this emptiness, this void that you describe being so palpable. That cuts to the very core of how it makes me feel when I enter them and why I spend the entire time longing for the door. It's like the Dementor's Kiss for me. Thank you! Sincerely!
- r00fus 9y ago
  Casinos are near-perfect skinner boxes [1]. An industry that thrives on exploiting human nature and destroying the subject in the process, little by little. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operant_conditioning_chamber https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operant_conditioning_chamber
  - balabaster 9y ago
    What always astounds me when I was in them is that everyone seemed oblivious to it. Their need for instant gratification, the pleasure centre in their brains triggered just enough to keep them ignoring the stress of their losses. Distracting them long enough to make them think they can win it all back and get back on top. It's like playing poker in an interrogation room with a good cop and a bad cop. The good cop comes in enough to make you think you're okay. It doesn't matter whether you're innocent and you only lose a day of work or you're guilty and lose your freedom, you still lose. People go in thinking they can beat the system and the rare few do, but most don't. Overall, the house always wins. That's why the doors are still open and they earn yearly profits of millions of dollars while a whole bunch of their patrons gradually lose their homes and the shirts on their backs.

fweespeech 9y ago

Except in this case, its almost certainly a violation of money laundering laws in the US. Tbh, part of me wonders if it would be perfectly legal if they sold an actual product at a massive markup (say, "designer chocolate"), provided "bonus tokens", and allowed refunds of the chocolate even if it was purchased with those tokens. I'm not aware of any laws that prevent the conversion of tokens to chocolate to refunds. Then again, a cryptocurrency is probably less hassle at this point than any of these fronts. https://bitcasino.io/ https://bitcasino.io/ And I guess I'm not the only one to conclude that.

sokoloff 9y ago
Though these are generally discussed in terms of their tax or financial domain, the step doctrine and substance over form doctrines would preclude those actions from being legal just because there is an intermediate step inserted. I don't know of their specific applicability (or not) w.r.t. money laundering. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Step_transaction_doctrine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Step_transaction_doctrine
- fweespeech 9y ago
  Fair enough. xD The law isn't something I'm well versed in. It just seemed odd that loophole existed in Japan.

armenarmen 9y ago

I'm finishing a novel where an app has the same functionality for street level dealers. Money laundering is fascinating.

kennethologist 9y ago
Which novel?

PhasmaFelis 9y ago

I love stories like these. I wonder what the Japanese equivalent is, in terms of "bizarre tourist experiences"? I bet there's equally breathless articles somewhere about American gun ranges, for example.