Gambling is illegal in Japan but many are addicted

Nearly 5% of Japanese [people] are addicted to gambling...9% of men, despite it being illegal to gamble for money (from here).

This is a statistic I haven't heard before about Japan. But I believe it, because pachinko parlours (a cross between a pinball and a slot machine) are everywhere. We have one near us in Tokyo that we pass on the way to church.

The worry is that the Prime Minister has announced a plan to lift the ban on gambling so that casinos can be built. It could be a bid to raise more money, but at what cost to society? (See the above article for more information.)

* Photo from: "Electric City Akihabara Pachinko" by Tischbeinahe - Own work.

Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Electric_City_Akihabara_Pachinko.

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