These are the Best of Times...and the Worst?

[Bilko44]

Over the past few months I have observed a large number of vendors offering pachinko and pachislo games at bargain prices online. The variety of games is great and for the most part, the sellers are delivering a quality product.

What concerns me is that these cheap prices will be short lived and could signal the beginning of the end for low prices and "new" games in the USA.

Let me explain.

Increasingly, states have frowned upon the use and possession of pachislo games by individuals. This restrictive view is directly associated with the attempts of the casino industry to expand its games into more states. Legal casinos view any form of gaming other than playing in their casinos, to be competition. Small arcades and truck stops offering slots that reward players with gift cards and free gas say that they are legal (ChuckeCheese law). Unfortunately, as local prosecutors go after these marginal operations, they write and interpret laws that make possession of pachislo games a risky proposition.

As a result of this mood in many states, the sale of pachislo games has taken a big hit and many vendors are simply dumping their inventory and moving on to other things.

Don't be surprised to see the sale and listing of pachislo games to be eventually banned by eBay.

Pachinko games are in a different boat. For the present time pachinko games are rarely viewed as a gambling game since they do not use tokens or coins.

The problem with pachinko is that it has a limited customer base and requires a higher level commitment to set up and maintain pachinkos. Specifically, pachinko games do not arrive in a factory finished cabinet--they are pulled from the pachinko parlors which keep the multi-unit enclosures for the replacement game. This means the pachinko game requires mounting, ball supply and management installed and knowledge of basic mechanical function is necessary to keep the game working smoothly.

Pachinko games are noisy, loud, garish loud machines that absolutely captivate many players (including myself), but finding a place for them in a home is often a challenge. Their clatter of endless balls being launched and won dominates the typical home and often tests the patience of non-pachinko aficionados in the home.

I think most readers will agree that the potential customer base for pachinko is far more limited than that of pachislo. Bear in mind that here at pachitalk we attract many players who seem to eat, live and breathe pachinko. Yet, we suffer one major restriction: we must buy our games in order to play them. At some point we run out of room, so even our universe is limited. On the other hand, pachislo players can usually get a slot fix at a nearby casino.

I believe the drop in pachinko prices is not just the drop the remaining inventory after the holiday thing, but it is that supply (games imported for sale) now exceeds demand (persons willing to buy). The kicker is that many of the current vendors will lose lots of money trying to clear inventory and they will not return to the market as a dealer. And thus, the worst of times will be upon us again when a few dealers will control supply and can demand higher prices.

What's your opinion?