10 differences between Online Casino and Pachinko

If you’re a seasoned Pachinko player, you might be wondering what you can get out of online slots that you can’t get from Pachinko. But we think online slots have a lot to offer. Let’s look at the 10 main differences between Pachinko and slots, and why they’re perfect for you.

10 differences between Pachinko and Slots

1. Convenience
2. Number of games
3. Live Casino
4. Cost per round
5. Paylines
6. Return to player (RTP)
7. Custom Settings
8. Jackpots
9. Bonuses
10. Proof of Identity

Convenience

One of aspect of online casinos is their convenience. If you’re connected to the internet, you can play! On the other hand, while you can find Pachinko parlours almost anywhere, you can’t play pachinko unless you’re physically in front of a machine.

One advantage of pachinko is that you can encounter real people in a pachinko parlour, providing a social dimension most online casinos lack. However, some casinos host Live Casino games featuring dedicated chat rooms in several languages.

At Vera&John, our Live Casino features Japanese dealers so you can hold a conversation in Japanese, which is guaranteed to increase your enjoyment of the game!

It’s important to note that even though you can play online casino games all day and night long, you should remember to take frequent breaks and set session limits to control your gameplay.

Number of games

There are over 4,100 different games at Vera&John. If you were to play a different game every day, it would take you more than 7 years to play every single one.

In reality, you would never reach the end, because more are being added all the time!

By contrast, pachinko parlours offer less variation, because they are limited by the size of the pachinko machines. Even large pachinko parlours rarely offer more than 100 different games.

However, pachinko players often looking for a specific kind of experience which they can get from pachinko parlours. And in the case of online casinos, the sheer variety of slots can sometimes be very daunting to new players, who feel overwhelmed by choice.

At Vera&John there are a few ways you can overcome this feeling. The first is by sticking to the more popular games – we mark those with a ‘flaming hot’ icon.

After you’ve tried a few games, one easy rule of thumb you can follow is to search for other games from the same game provider. Vera&John lets you search by game provider, making it easier to look up games in a series, so if you like one, you’ll probably like other games by the same creators!

Live Casino

As we mentioned earlier, Vera&John has a bustling Live Casino. Live casinos combine classic table games with a live chat interface. You can connect to a table and dealer by live link, giving you the chance to play games like roulette, poker, blackjack, and baccarat (to name just a few) online and exchange banter with the dealer and your fellow players, giving you an authentic casino experience wherever you are.

Cost per round

You can play Pachinko for as little as 1-yen, or 5-yen for slots at a pachinko parlour. At a minimum $0.10-$0.20 per bet, online casinos appear a bit more expensive (let us say that $0.10 = 10-yen). The name ‘Casino’ gives us an image of luxury, but for 10-yen a spin, you can still play without having to worry about being a high roller.

On the other hand, most online casino games have a maximum bet of $1,000, so you’re more likely to find an option that suits all budgets.

Number of paylines

Most popular pachinko machines and pachislots feature 5 horizontal and diagonal paylines. Similarly, most online slot games also have 5 paylines, but they don’t stop there. For example, you can find slots with over 10,000 paylines, slots with payline that unlock as you play, and other interesting mechanics that are only possible on a virtual slot machine.

Don’t worry, you won’t have to remember all the different paylines. Everything is calculated for you automatically. These games will tell you how you’ve won, and how much, without you having to know the patterns of all the different paylines.

Return to player

Most online casino games have a theoretical return to player (RTP) of between 96 and 97%. This means that if a game’s RTP is 96%, then for every $100 wagered players would theoretically receive $96 back.

Conversely, the RTP of pachinko is 85%. If you think that’s low compared to the RTP of a typical online slot, then consider that horse racing has an RTP of 75% and lottery 46%. So, while pachinko’s RTP may seem low, it’s still higher than that of other forms of gambling in Japan.

Custom Settings

Every seasoned pachinko player knows there’s a certain amount of adjustment required to customise the machine to your liking. By contrast, online casinos don’t let you fiddle with settings to make winning easier.

This is because online casinos must ensure their games are fair and impartial, and they must provide proof of that fairness to regulators. So even though there are no custom settings to be found in any of our casino games, Vera&John is proud to say that our games are fair.

Jackpots

One thing online casinos have that pachinko doesn’t is jackpots.

Getting a big win can be a truly life-changing experience, and playing jackpot games makes this possible. Not every game is a jackpot game, so make sure you pick a game with the jackpot feature if you want to have the chance of hitting it big.

If you’re not familiar with the idea of jackpots – think about it like a big pot of coins. Every player pays into the pot, and the prize money piles up over time. Eventually, when the time is right, someone will get a lucky spin and win the lot.

The timing of payouts depends on the game and the size of the jackpot. For example, they could pay out every hour, or once a day, so make sure you check the game information for the details of that particular jackpot.

Big jackpots don’t pay out often, so timing can be critical. And even though it’s completely random, that doesn’t stop people from feeling like a jackpot win is getting closer and that can be super exciting!

Bonuses

Our 9th difference is bonus play. If you’re familiar with online casinos, then you know this is something lacking from the pachinko parlour.

Most online casinos offer players bonus funds which is a separate type of currency only valid at that casino. After you have exhausted your cash balance, you’ll use your bonus balance when you play.

Bonus money must be converted to cash before you can withdraw it, so make sure to follow the bonus rules and wagering requirements!

Bonuses can be awarded for depositing, or as part of a promotion or special offer. Check out the promotions on top of the home page, and in our email newsletters to get the latest bonus offers.

Learn more about Vera&John’s bonuses

Proof of identity

In most pachinko parlours, unless you want to join a membership program, you don’t have to show proof of identity to anyone. However, when you play at online casinos, you will quickly encounter something called account verification.

During this process, you must provide the casino with various documents to prove your identity. It’s possible to play without account verification, but once you have verified your identity withdrawals become smoother, and you can deposit and withdraw larger sums in one go.

Account verification may seem like a headache, but it is in everyone’s best interest. It helps the casino by keeping them compliant with the conditions of their license and prevents crimes like money laundering. And it helps players by reassuring them the casino is obeying the law and keeping them safe.

To summarise, though pachinko and online casinos may appear very similar on the surface, there are may and varied differences. However, we believe that if you have enjoyed one, you’re very likely to enjoy the other, either despite, or because of the differences.

Finally, if you’ve played pachinko games before, but this is your first time using an online casino, here at Vera&John you can find a category of games called Pachislots which combines the best of both words. We hope you’ll check them out!