Pachinko is a mechanical gambling game, which originated in Japan in the years following World War II and has since developed into an industry with an annual turnover of ¥21.5 trillion, or $200 billion. Indeed, Japan is home to tens of thousands of pachinko parlours, which are largely the preserve of the Korean Japanese, who were excluded from the traditional workforce in the post-war years.
Pachinko is akin to pinball, insofar as it involves launching steel ball bearings into the machine, but is played vertically, rather than horizontally. The word pachinko is the diminutive form of the Japanese word ‘pachin’, which describes the natural clicking sound the machine make. Players insert money, push the so-called ‘tamakashi button’ to release a fixed number of balls into the upper ball tray and gently rotate a handle to start firing them into the machine.
The idea is that as many balls as possible negotiate the pin maze and drop into the main prize hole, a.k.a. the ‘gate’, in the middle of the field of play. Too little, or too much, pressure on the handle may result in balls missing the field of play altogether and only a small percentage of those that do make it – perhaps 6% or 7%, on average – will enter the gate. Nevertheless, each ball that does enter the gate wins additional balls, plus a spin of the reels, which provides an opportunity to hit a bonus, including the jackpot. At the end of a playing session, winnings, in the form of balls, are tallied by a member of staff, who creates a receipt that can be redeemed, for prizes large and small, at the prize counter.
“We have now finished the authentication process, photos of every chip, video of the counting ( 2,222 ).
The chips are on display at Spinettis, will be Monday-Wednesday the 27-29th.
I will remove the chips and tokens on Thursday, and, start my Guinness display with the MoGH.
My goal is to finish all the paperwork by the end of the week.
After submission, I wait 12 weeks for my approval ( hopefully ).
Should be a formality, we did everything exactly like last year.
Thanks again for your continued support, I can’t thank you enough.
Stay safe and healthy
Gregg”
1st October Update:
The Guinness world records project is finished, I broke the record.
This morning I took all 2,222 chips and tokens out of the display and into the MoGH display.
We will start the paperwork tomorrow and hopefully finish early next week.
Once the paperwork is sent, I wait 12 weeks for Guinness to certify the record (as it’s currently pending).
Fingers crossed.
For those unable to make it (not uncommon in the current climate!) check out this video tour of the Museum of Gaming History’s Exhibitions at Spinettis:
LAS VEGAS (September 23, 2021) — For Las Vegan Gregg Fisher, double-deuces are wild. If his current collection of 2,222 casino chips and tokens are approved, he will almost triple the current Guinness World’s Record. As part of the record attempt, all 2,222 items will be publicly displayed next week.
Fisher, a member of the Casino Collectibles Association, holds the current Guinness World Record for the world’s largest collection of casino chips and tokens – 818, each from different casinos. The process of authenticating, counting, and photographing each piece of his entire expanded collection of 2,222 pieces takes place over a four-day span at Spinettis Gaming Supplies, 810 S. Commerce Street in Las Vegas. The entire new potential record-setting collection can be viewed by the public there from 9:30 A.M. to 5:30 P.M. this Monday through Wednesday, September 27th through 29th.
“The record is based on the largest number of items over a single subject in a private personal collection,” says Fisher. “In this case, only one chip or token from a specific casino is counted. So, in my case, the number of items in this Guinness World Record represents the same number of different casinos. I cannot thank Spinettis enough for all of the assistance provided on my record quest.”
Two qualified independent witnesses from Spinettis, as confirmed by Guinness, must document the collection, and submit a statement of their daily activities involved in the process. As part of the process, the collection must be put on public display for three days for review and challenge.
After everything is submitted to Guinness World Records, the twelve-week review process starts, and the wait for acceptance begins. It should be noted that about 40% of all Guinness World Record attempts fail because of the lack of perfect paperwork.
If approved, the new world’s largest casino chip and token collection, as recognized by Guinness World Records, will also be on display at the Casino Collectibles Association’s (CCA) 29th annual show, June 16-18, 2022, at the South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The show is open to the public and offers the unique opportunity to examine, buy, sell, trade or evaluate casino collectibles and memorabilia. It features museum-like exhibits and dealers of casino memorabilia from all over the world.
Smiley by name, but certainly not by nature. We’ve found the low roller guys.
