today over 20 venues in Japan and pari-mutuel betting is legal at the course. Six speed boats race three laps around a 600m course and racers are assigned a boat at random on race day. Bets predict the winner, two out of the top three or an exact combination of the top three finishers. Motorcycle Racing (Auto Race) is a version of
motorcycle speedway with gambling and held on an asphalt course and regulated by the JKA Foundation. It was created for gambling purposes and the first ever meet was held in 1950 but this was banned by the government in the 1960s as the tracks (flat dirt) were considered dangerous. In the 1960s it was introduced on asphalt on bikes without brakes and the JKA took over in 1967. Tere are eight riders in each six lap race going as fast as 150kmph on the straights. Betting tickets offer various options and can be bought at the track. Tere are six tracks in Funabashi, Hamamatsu, Sanyo, Kawaguchi, Iizuka and Isesak and entry is ¥100. Bicycle Racing (Keirin) is older than horse racing and has a devoted fan base. It is a home
Local governments run non-JRA tracks through the country although the quality of racing is said to be poor and was developed mostly for entertainment Ten in 1964 the lottery (Takarakuji) was
grown sport which began in 1948 and involves a group of cyclists doing laps of a course on fixed gear bikes with no brakes and paced by a motorbike before a mad dash to the finish line. Races are typically two kilometres long. It was designed expressly for gambling purposes and there are around 70 dedicated Keirin racing velodromes around the country and in the year 2000 it became an Olympic event. Tis event is managed by the JKA Foundation. Te popularity of this sport has decreased due to young people now betting more on baseball and football. In 1991 the revenue for Keirin was almost ¥20bn with 27.4 million people visiting a velodrome. In 2013 the sport generated only ¥6bn with 4.2 million visitors.
Meanwhile the lottery in Japan has existed
since 1630 but was banned in 1842 and most of the gambling laws now stem from a 1907 legislation which still prohibited the lottery. Lotteries came and went throughout the years and were mainly set up to raise money after wars.
regulated nationally and the Japan Lottery Association was created. Initially customers queued up at department
stores to get their tickets, but today they can be bought directly but only at sanctioned lottery booths found mostly near train stations or in front of large stores. Te Jumbo lottery is the largest and highest
paying amongst all the lotteries and beside the Spanish El Gordo is the biggest lottery in the world. Tickets are sold exclusively by the Mizucho Bank for a limited period and can offer prizes of ¥25bn in total and tickets cost ¥300. Te games include Jumbo Lottery, Mini Lotto,
Lot 6, Numbers 3, Numbers 4 and scratch cards which have been around since 1984. Te lotteries are considered as amusement so there is no age limit and no taxes on winnings.
ONLINE Online gambling is prohibited under the Chapter
23 of the Penal Code and as such there are no online bookmakers operating from Japan.
NEWSWIRE / INTERACTIVE /
247.COM P47
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