The Japanese banking system has been exceptionally slow to introduce 24-hour ATMs, and still imposes banking charges on anyone using the machines after office hours.
Ogaki Kyoritsu Bank, prefecture west of Tokyo, is introducing fruitmachine-style games of chance which run while the ATM processes transactions.
Get three sevens, and your withdrawal fee is waived; three golds promise a jackpot of 1,000 yen (£5; $9). The purpose of the gimmick, says the bank’s Yoshi Enami, is simply “fun”.