TILT! Counterfeit pachinko cards send $588 million down the chute.

[John Young]

Follow-up to Peter Wayner's post yesterday: 
 
 
   The New York Times, May 24, 1996, p. D8. 
 
 
   American Banknote Gets Into Pachinko 
 
 
   The American Banknote Corporation said yesterday that it 
   was developing optical-reading technology for a group of 
   Japanese companies to help prevent counterfeit prepaid 
   cards in the pachinko business. 
 
   Pachinko, which is similar to pinball, is played in some 
   18,000 parlors in Japan and has grown in popularity in the 
   last few years. 
 
   Morris Weissman, American Banknote's chairman, said 
   American Banknote's holographics unit was making cash-value 
   cards and machines to read them. The cards and machines 
   will be tested in Japan in July, and "if certain criteria 
   are met," more will be installed in August, he said. 
 
   He said cards would authorize a person to play a game of 
   pachinko and win money. The cards, he said had "specific 
   algorithms and codes we believe are almost impossible to 
   duplicate." 
 
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