Gambling for cash is illegal in Japan, but the widespread popularity of low-stakes pachinko gambling in Japanese society has enabled a specific legal loophole allowing it to exist. Under the law, pachinko balls won from games cannot be exchanged directly for money in the parlor, nor can they be removed from the premises or exchanged with other parlors; however, they "can" be legally traded to the parlor for so-called "special prize" tokens (特殊景品 "tokushu keihin"), which are then legally "sold" for cash to a separate vendor located off-premises. These vendors (ostensibly independent from—but often owned by—the parlor owner) then sell the tokens back to the parlor at the same price paid for them (plus a small commission), thus turning a cash profit without technically violating the law.