PURPOSE: To reduce the size and cost of a device by arranging, in a passage for passing a pachinko ball, a thin film switch closed by the weight of the pachinko ball and a magnet for attracting the pachinko ball to reinforce the pressing force added from the pachinko ball to the thin film switch.

CONSTITUTION: When a pachinko ball P passes a prescribed passage in a pachinko game machine, the protecting film 4 and upper film 5 of a thin film switch 3 are deflected by its weight and the attracting force of a magnet 2 buried in a base plate 1 forming a detecting element 18, so that electrodes 8, 9 on both upper and lower sides mutually make contact. On the other hand, when the pachinko ball P is passed through, the protecting film 4 and the upper film 5 are returned to the original positions by the respective elasticities, so that the electrodes 8, 9 are mutually separated. The contact and separation in the electrodes 8, 9 in both the upper and lower sides is detected by a detecting circuit, converted into electric signal, which is then transmitted to a control circuit and a counting circuit, respectively. Thus, the pachinko game machine is controlled to release a prescribed number of pachinko balls, and the passed pachinko balls are counted.