One was hooked on pachinko to the point of suicide; the other took a samurai approach to gambling. A recovering pachinko addict and a professional gambler tell The Straits Times their stories.
THE EX-ADDICT
Mr Sachio Ooishi, a 42-year-old electronic product sales manager, began playing pachinko at 17 and quit only 18 years later.
“At that time (at 17), my allowance was 3,000 yen (S$37) a month, so you can imagine how excited I was when I had 60,000 yen of winnings in my hands,” he said.
“I was a star basketball player and captain for my high school and university. But when I couldn’t get into my first-choice university, I played pachinko every day to escape from reality.
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Read the full article at: http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/ex-addict-pro-player-lay-their-cards-on-table