Story highlights Japanese senior centers increasingly adding gaming machines and tables

Some research suggests gambling may stave off dementia

Pressure groups warn that old people especially at risk of addiction

(CNN) It might be a long way from the glitz and glamor of Las Vegas or Macau, but old people's homes may quickly be becoming a new frontier for gaming in Japan.

In one senior day care center in Yokohama -- appropriately named after the aforementioned U.S. gambling mecca -- elderly people play mahjong and baccarat as the chimes and pings of slot machines and pachinko fill the room.

"We believe this casino stimulates the brain and helps to prevent or suppress the development of dementia," said Kaoru Mori, Chairman of Japan Elderly Care Service, which runs the "Las Vegas" center.

It's no secret that old people love to gamble. Grey hairs are a common sight everywhere from the casino floors of Vegas to the mahjong parlors of Hong Kong.

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