April 14, 2023

"Once the only major economy to ban casinos..."

"Japan approves building of first casino/First casino complex to be built in Osaka after ban was lifted despite fears about gambling addiction" (The Guardian).
Japan is a nation of keen gamblers....

Much is spent on horse, speedboat, motorcycle and keirin bicycle racing and on pachinko. We're told "2.8 million people – about 2.2% of the population" have a "gambling addiction." 

To address those concerns, Japanese citizens will have to pay a ¥6,000 fee [$45] for every 24 hours they spend in the casino, with a portion of the fee earmarked for gambling addiction measures....
Aside from addiction concerns, what about architecture concerns? Here's the seasick cruise-ship design:

7 comments:

RideSpaceMountain said...

Pachinko is depressing in a uniquely Japanese way. It is a perfect aesthetic combination. Pachinko and hopeless Japanese salary men go together so perfectly they're inseparable. You couldn't imagine another group of people lined up in a pachinko parlor in suits and ties staring endlessly at metal balls drop randomly into buckets to be redeemed by Yakuza laundering operations for vending machine tokens.

Pachinko is to the Japanese what slot machines are to track suit wearing banana daiquiri swilling American retirees.

MadisonMan said...

That building might have some kind of transit system along the roof? Are those tracks? (That would be cool!) Or maybe it's "just" a walking path, which would also be interesting.

Wince said...

Funny, just the other day I was just talking about the Technofix 307 Coney Island (1964) German toy I had as a kid.

NKP said...

Can't argue with pachinko comment.

I think RideSpaceMountian may have logged some time as a Gaijin Contract Entertainer. Forty years ago he might have been a regular at Roppongi clubs like The Lex' and Pasha that largely restricted late-night entry to Celebs, Round-eyed Models and Friends.

Good Times.

Dave Begley said...

I'm a giant fan of maxims and aphorims; ancient and modern. Here's a great one, "The casinos were built with losers' money." Another, "The House always wins."

David53 said...

We gamble and cruise regularly, we never get sea sick. I think the casino looks cool.

I was surprised my wife was issued a W-2G the first time she hit a large jackpot on a Panamanian-flagged cruise ship in the middle of the Caribbean. I know gambling winnings over a certain amount are considered earned income but I didn't know cruise ships would report your winnings to the Feds. I wonder if this new casino will report American winners to the IRS.

RideSpaceMountain said...

"I think RideSpaceMountian may have logged some time as a Gaijin Contract Entertainer."

I wish! Those cats slay more Japanese milf coochie than I ever could. The only men who slay more are the cosplay butler cafe workers, but you have to look like Brad Pitt to land those jobs. Being a contract entertainer would've been massively preferable to the actual reason I've traveled to Nippon so much, but I can't talk about that.

Also, how do you know I'm not Japanese;)