The game of pachinko is similar to pinball in that small 11mm steel balls are shot onto the playing surface where they haphazardly bounce around and through a network of nails. The object of pachinko is to have the balls directed into winning pockets, whereby you receive more balls that equate to a prize or a monetary amount. The pachinko player is only responsible for controlling the speed by which the pachinko balls are shot onto the playing surface, from then on it basically becomes a game of chance.

To start playing pachinko, you insert money to purchase a number of balls that are dropped into a loading area. By pulling the handle-like knob, one ball is released and projected by a spring. Most of the balls will fall unsuccessfully through the pins to the bottom, but some will fall into special pockets that activate the pachinko slot machine. At this point you are instantly rewarded with a set number of balls, and if the same three symbols match up on the reels, you win an even greater amount.