Importing a Pachislot or Pachinko Machine: A Country-by-Country Starter Guide (US, AU, UK, CA, EU, TW, KR)

Thousands of collectors worldwide own retired Japanese machines. At home there’s no money involved: just the lights, the sounds and the anime. Getting one into your country, though, means dealing with gaming-device laws, customs and power. Here’s a starter guide by country. Power and buying basics are covered in buying a machine for home.

Three questions for every country

1. Is it a “gaming machine” or “gambling device” in law? Most countries regulate slot-type machines. Whether a pachislot counts, and whether home use or age exemptions apply, varies by country and state.
2. What does customs need? Duties and taxes (such as GST or VAT), paperwork, and sometimes import permits.
3. Can it be powered safely? Japan runs on 100V (KEPCO), so most countries need a step-down transformer.

United States

Federal law: the Johnson Act. Under 15 U.S.C. § 1172, it’s unlawful to knowingly transport any gambling device into a state from outside it, with exceptions (Cornell LII):

• transport into a state that has enacted a law exempting itself from this section;
• transport to licensed gambling establishments where betting is legal under state law;
• transport into a state where the device is specifically enumerated as lawful in a state statute.

“Gambling device” is defined in § 1171 (Cornell LII). Whether and how a given pachislot or pachinko machine falls within that definition is a legal question we can’t answer for you.

State law decides private ownership. Many states allow “antique” slot machines that aren’t used for gambling, often defined by age. For example, Washington State treats a slot machine as conclusively antique if it’s at least 25 years old. It gives the owner a defence if the machine wasn’t operated for gambling, with play only free or with coins provided at no cost by the owner (RCW 9.46.235).

A community list from the Museum of the Game summarises every state’s rules. It ranges from “all legal” to “prohibited”, with age thresholds such as 20, 25, 30 or 40 years, or pre-1950 (Museum of the Game). That list is a starting point, not authority. Some of its code citations may be out of date. Always read your state’s current statute.

Collector reality check: age limits matter. Most smart slots date from 2022 onwards, and 6号機 from 2018 (pachislot generations), so a modern machine may not meet an age-based exemption.

Shipping: one retailer’s FAQ quotes shipping to the US (A-PACHINKO WORLD FAQ). TODO: record the current quoted cost and time with the check date.

Australia

• What a retailer says: A-PACHINKO WORLD, which ships to Australia, states that personal collection is legal. It quotes 10% GST on imports, a shipping cost of US$900, and 20–30 days door to door by sea freight to Sydney or Melbourne, then local courier. It also notes that a step-down transformer is required for Australia’s 230V (A-PACHINKO WORLD). These are a seller’s claims, not official guidance.
• Official position: gaming machines are regulated by each state and territory, under laws such as NSW’s Gaming Machines Act 2001 (AustLII). TODO: link and summarise official guidance from the Australian Border Force (prohibited and restricted imports) and from each state regulator (NSW, VIC, QLD, WA, SA, TAS, ACT, NT) on private ownership of non-gambling amusement machines.

United Kingdom

• Gambling Act 2005 is the main law (legislation.gov.uk).
• The Gambling Commission’s guidance says domestic gaming needs no permission if it takes place in a private dwelling, on a domestic occasion, and no charge or levy is made for playing (Gambling Commission).
• What we haven’t confirmed: how the Act’s gaming-machine provisions treat owning and importing a pachislot purely for free home play. TODO: find a Gambling Commission statement or legal commentary on private ownership of gaming machines, and HMRC import duty and VAT treatment.

Canada

• Gaming and betting offences, including the definition of a “slot machine”, are in the Criminal Code (Justice Laws). Provinces regulate gaming.
• TODO: quote the current statutory definition of a slot machine. Find CBSA guidance on importing gaming devices and any provincial rules on private ownership. We haven’t verified these, so we make no claim.

European Union

Gambling law isn’t harmonised across the EU. Each member state sets its own rules. TODO: research Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain individually (planned pages), including customs (EU import VAT and duty) and national gaming-device rules.

Taiwan (台灣)

TODO: research Taiwan’s rules on importing and privately owning electronic gaming machines (電子遊戲機) under the relevant Ministry of Economic Affairs regulations, plus customs. We haven’t verified these, so we make no claim. A Traditional Chinese page is planned.

South Korea (한국)

Context matters here. Korea’s Bada Iyagi (바다이야기, “Sea Story”) arcade game, launched in 2004, was inspired by Japan’s Umi Monogatari (Sea Story) pachinko series. It sold around 45,000 units before a 2006 national scandal over gambling and addiction. Korean Wikipedia records that the Game Industry Promotion Act (게임산업진흥에 관한 법률) was passed in April 2006, and that rules on gambling-like games were tightened (ko.wikipedia, secondary source).

TODO: research how current Korean law (the Game Industry Promotion Act, the Speculative Acts Regulation Act and customs rules) treats importing and privately owning a pachislot or pachinko machine. A Korean-language page is planned.

Before you pay: a checklist

• I’ve read my country’s and state’s current law (not just a forum post).
• I know the machine’s age and type (pachislot or pachinko, smart or medal).
• The seller provides an invoice suitable for customs.
• I’ve budgeted for shipping, duties and taxes and a transformer.
• The machine is converted for home use (buying guide).
• I’ll use it for free play only. No money changes hands.

Where to ask

The English collector forums PachisloDB and PachiTalk have years of import and wiring threads. They’re linked from our buying guide. Forum answers are personal experience, not legal advice.