WTF is this? Part 1 Answer! Pachinko Parlor

Sorry for the long delay in getting back to this I know the suspense has been killing everyone.

The building above houses a Japanese pachinko parlor.

Walking around Tokyo you'll quickly become familiar with pachinko parlors. These are mini casinos that house gambling devices a bit like slot machines.
Officially gambling is illegal in Japan, so it's a bit surprising how ubiquitous they are. By some accounts the annual turn over in the pachinko parlor business is about $300 Billion. Which according to Wikipedia anyway, is about the size of the estimated global narcotics business. So what gives, how can these supposedly illegal gambling institutions operate so openly and so profitably?

Pachinko parlors manage to avoid infringing on the anti gambling laws but not paying out any cash prizes on the premises of the pachinko parlor. Lucky patrons are paid in tokens which must be brought to a separate establishment where they can be exchanged for cash. This "separate" establishment could be located directly adjacent to the parlor. However, parlor staff are prohibited from telling customers where they can go to exchange their tokens.

There seem to be several areas of Japanese society where they seem to be very concerned with whether or not the letter of the law is being carried out, without any regard for whether the actual consequences of the implementation are meeting the goal which was the reason for it's existence. Prostitution would fall into this category as well.

Apparently over 90% of the pachinko parlors in Japan are owned by ethnic Koreans. It's also rumored that many of the token exchange locations have connections to the Yakuza, or Japanese mob.

Also, I believe I promised a prize to the correct guess. So congratulations Brian Pierce! You're now the owner (proud I'm sure) of the hip shaped pillow pictured below.
Let me know your address and I'll have it sent to you, in the slowest, cheapest possible method. So be patient.