老虎机响个不停，卡牌在绿呢台面上滑动，筹码堆放在百家乐赌桌上，房间里的人平均年龄达80岁。如今，日本正兴起一种新型老年人陪护场所——类似拉斯维加斯赌场主题的日间陪护所。

 

Casino-themed daycare may become a pillar of Japanese economic revival plans by occupying some of the 10m Japanese aged over 80 and so freeing up workers who might otherwise have left the shrinking labour force to look after frail relatives — as do some 100,000 workers each year.

赌场主题的日间陪护所可能会成为支撑起日本经济重振计划的一个支柱：让日本约1000万80岁以上的老人有事可做，解放原本需要退出劳动力大军以照顾体弱亲人的劳动者。目前，日本的劳动人口正在萎缩，每年有约10万人因上述原因离职照顾老人。

 

As Japan's demographic crisis has deepened, the number of daycare facilities has doubled since 2010 to about 40,000. But the majority offer activities that "are too childish, patronising even. These are adults and they want serious activities."

随着日本的人口危机加深，自2010年以来，日本日间陪护所的数量已经翻了一番，至约4万家。但其中大多数陪护所提供的活动“太幼稚，甚至好像大人对小孩。这些人是成年人，他们想要真正的活动。”

 

The casino-themed daycare centres succeed in attracting more elderly men, who are less willing than women to attend regular daycare centres.

这些赌场主题的陪护中心成功地吸引了更多老年男性。比起女性，他们更不愿意去普通的日间陪护中心。

 

But not everyone shares the enthusiasm of them. Some local governments, which heavily subsidise daycare, are reluctant to encourage gambling. The city of Kobe has banned casino daycare as a malign social influence, and the wider prefecture of Hyogo may follow.

但并非所有人都像他们那样热衷于此。一些对日间陪护所提供高额补贴的地方政府不鼓励赌博。神户市已禁止赌场式日间陪护所，认为这会带来不良的社会影响，禁令还可能推广至神户市所属的整个兵库县。