The pachinko industry is urging customers to donate steel balls from their winnings to help put hard-up students through university.
But anti-gambling activists have dismissed the campaign as a marketing stunt that does nothing to address problems with gambling addiction.
"The aim is to help people in difficulty who need assistance to go through higher education," said Tadamasa Fukiura, chairman of Support 21, a nonprofit organization that has teamed up with six pachinko parlor companies to launch the "pp Shogakukin" scholarship fund.