KEIZ

Where KEIZ operates: coverage depends on the venue type

The name KEIZ gets used loosely, so it helps to be clear about what it covers. It is not one operator with one license. It is the collection of Japanese racing venues where you can bet on keirin cycling, local horse racing and related pools. That means the "where" question has a slightly different answer depending on which type of racing you mean.

Keirin is the biggest part of it. There are 43 velodromes across the country, and races run at several of them on any given day². The Midnight Keirin program, which runs races under lights, uses 33 of those velodromes³. That is a large slice of the network, and it is the part most visitors end up at because the evening schedule fits around a day of sightseeing.

Local horse racing is the other main strand. Venues such as Nagoya Racecourse publish their own betting guides, and the local racing network links venues together so you can bet on one track's races from another⁶. That interlocking is useful if you are near a smaller venue rather than a major one.

Then there are the off-track betting offices. J-PLACE locations let you bet on local racing without going to a racecourse, and they have been running in Hokkaido since March 23 in the 25th year of the Japanese era⁷. JRA WINS and Excel venues work the same way for central racing, with betting tickets sold at automatic machines inside the venue⁸.

So when someone asks which prefectures KEIZ covers, the honest answer is that it depends on the venue type. Keirin reaches 43 tracks. Local racing reaches its own set of racecourses plus the J-PLACE network. Central racing reaches WINS and Excel offices. Between them, most of Japan has something within reach.

Getting there: prefectures covered from Hokkaido to Aichi

If you are traveling and want to know whether a KEIZ venue is near you, the practical approach is to work down the country.

Hokkaido. This is well covered. Aiba Hakodate-minato-cho sits at 3-17 Minato-cho, Hakodate-shi¹. Aiba Takikawa is inside the Takabayashi department store at 3 Sakae-machi, Takikawa-shi¹. Aiba Shizunai is at 2-1-30 Kiba-cho, Shizunai-cho¹. Aiba Nakashibetsu is at 1-5, Higashi-31-Jo-Minami, Nakashibetsu-cho¹. Aiba Chitose is at 3-3-2 Saiwai-cho, Chitose-shi¹. There is also a WINS Kushiro at 2-5, Chuo, Kushiro-cho, Kushiro-gun¹, and a Hakodate velodrome that takes part in Midnight Keirin⁹.

Aichi. Nagoya and Toyohashi both appear on the Midnight Keirin venue list⁹. Nagoya Racecourse publishes its own betting guide⁶. Kasamatsu Racecourse, just over the border in Gifu, is a short train ride from Nagoya Station on the Meitetsu Nagoya Main Line, using the rapid express, express, rapid limited express, limited express, semi-express or express toward Ichinomiya and Gifu¹⁰. Note that the Muse K does not stop at Kasamatsu Station¹⁰.

Aomori and Iwate. Aomori has a Midnight Keirin venue⁹. Teletrack Towada is at 37-14 Hirakubo, Aza, Denpoji, Oaza, Towada-shi, Aomori¹. Iwate has an off-course betting venue in Morioka that reopened in 2014 with two kiosk terminals¹¹.

Yamagata. New Track Matsuyama is at 325-1 Michiwaki, Aza, Aisawa, Oaza, Sakata-shi, Yamagata¹.

Gifu. Gifu appears on the Midnight Keirin list⁹, and Kasamatsu Racecourse is the local racing venue here¹⁰.

Okayama. Kojima is a boat racing stadium in Okayama Prefecture¹².

Tokyo area. Tokyo City Keiba is a racetrack in the heart of Tokyo¹³. Kawasaki is also on the Midnight Keirin list, and Funabashi is a local horse racecourse, so the greater Tokyo region is well served⁹.

The pattern is that the network follows the population and the racing tradition. Hokkaido, Aichi and the Tokyo region are the busiest. If you are in a smaller prefecture, you may need to travel to a neighboring one.

Games and venues by prefecture

What you can actually bet on depends on the venue type. Here is how the main options break down.

Legal?: Yes

Minimum age: Legal betting age in Japan

At a keirin velodrome you will find betting booths, grandstand seats, restaurants and other basic facilities, and some tracks have beginner guidance rooms⁴. Off-course ticket sales offices often have large monitors so you can watch the races⁴.

Buying a ticket is straightforward:

1. Find a velodrome or off-course sales office
2. Fill in a mark card
3. Insert the card and your purchase amount into a ticket machine
4. Take the printed betting ticket
5. Wait for the race¹⁴

The betting card covers the venue, bet type, race number, race prediction, purchase amount and a cancel option¹⁵. If you would rather bet at a window than a machine, that is available too¹⁶.

At JRA WINS and Excel venues, betting tickets are bought at automatic machines inside the venue⁸. At J-PLACE offices, you can bet on local racing, but note that tickets sold at J-PLACE are refunded at JRA main offices such as Ebisu and WINS, and at some local WINS venues, so keep that in mind if you plan to collect winnings later⁵.

One thing that is not offered at Hokkaido Racing venues and J-PLACE is the quick pick option⁵. You fill in your own selections.

If you want rider information before you bet, the KEIRIN.JP basic information screen shows the last four months of data, including prefecture, class and group, and riding style. Selecting a rider shows their profile. Absent riders are marked as 欠場, substitute riders as 補充, and riders joining via additional arrangement as 追加¹⁷.

What the prefecture list does not cover

A few practical points that the prefecture list alone will not tell you.

Ticket sales close early at some venues. At Hokkaido Racing venues, sales stop two minutes before the race starts⁵. If you are used to placing a bet right as the field loads, that will catch you out. Plan to have your ticket in hand a couple of minutes before the off.

Payouts are not always at the venue where you bet. J-PLACE tickets for Hokkaido Racing are refunded at JRA main offices and some local WINS venues, not necessarily where you bought them⁵. If you are traveling on, check where you can collect before you leave.

Coverage differs by racing type. Keirin has 43 velodromes². Midnight Keirin uses 33 of them³. Local racing has its own set of racecourses plus J-PLACE offices⁷. Central racing has WINS and Excel. A prefecture that has one type may not have another, so check the specific type you want.

Some venues are indoor and some are outdoor. Midnight Keirin splits its venues into indoor and outdoor. The indoor list includes Aomori, Sasebo, Tamano, Takeo, Seibuen, Ogaki, Yahiko, Beppu, Matsusaka, Kawasaki, Matsuyama, Toyohashi, Hakodate, Yokkaichi, Nagoya, Mukomachi, Hiratsuka, Kurume, Komatsushima, Kishiwada, Takamatsu, Shizuoka, Keiokaku, Iwaki-Taira, Gifu, Kumamoto, Kokura and Maebashi³. The outdoor list is Nara, Ito, Matsudo, Kochi and Utsunomiya³. If the weather matters to you, that split is worth knowing.

Venue codes help you find the right track. The payout information service uses codes such as Obihiro 03#, Monbetsu 06#, Morioka 11#, Mizusawa 12#, Urawa 31#, Funabashi 32#, Oi 33#, Kawasaki 34#, Kanazawa 41#, Kasamatsu 42#, Nagoya 43#, Sonoda 51#, Himeji 52#, Kochi 55# and Saga 61#¹⁸. If you are reading a race card or a results page, those codes tell you which track you are looking at.

Hokkaido racing has its own media footprint. Race cards are published in eight sports newspapers, two races each, across the Kanto, Tokai and Kanshi areas¹⁹. That is a useful way to check the day's card if you are not near a venue.

Interlocking means more choice. Hokkaido Horse Racing runs mutual sales with Nankan, covering all races at Kawasaki Racecourse, three night races at Oi and Funabashi, and expanded three daytime races at Urawa¹⁹. So a Hokkaido venue can give you a bet on a Kawasaki race.

Lottery is everywhere. Takarakuji is sold nationwide by all prefectures and 20 designated cities²⁰. If you just want a lottery ticket, you do not need a racing venue at all.

One thing that is not allowed. Playing on offshore casino websites is illegal in Japan, and players have been prosecuted. If you are in Japan and want to gamble, stick to the domestic racing and lottery venues described here, or visit a licensed casino in another Asian jurisdiction.

If you want the wider picture on what is and is not legal in the country, see Can I Gamble in Japan?. For the casino side specifically, including who can go in, see Casinos in Japan: Who Can Go In. And if you are waiting for the first Japanese casino resort, When Will the Osaka Casino Resort Open? covers the timeline.