Boat Race Betting

What Boat Race betting is

Boat Race, known in Japanese as kyotei, is one of Japan's publicly managed sports betting products, alongside horse racing, keirin cycling and auto racing⁶. Six boats line up for each race and go counterclockwise around a circular 600m course for three laps, a total of 1,800m⁷. The boats are numbered 1 to 6, and each racer wears the color of their boat, which is why many first-timers simply pick a favorite color and bet on it².

A day of racing at a venue is a compact program: 12 races in total, with a roughly half-hour break between each one². That pace makes Boat Race an easy afternoon out. You can come to any venue in Japan just to watch the races, enjoy the food and check out the other attractions without placing a single bet⁸.

All payouts are in yen¹. The odds, which the sport calls the expected payout rate, work simply: a 100-yen ticket at a rate of 6.2 pays 620 yen⁷. Odds are displayed on monitors and large screens inside the venue and on the official website, so you can check the likely payout before you commit⁹.

If you want the wider picture of legal gambling in Japan, see our page on gambling in Japan, and for the sport itself, boat racing (kyotei).

Where you can bet: 24 race venues nationwide

There are 24 Boat Race venues across Japan, and a lot of them are close to popular tourist spots, so getting to one is surprisingly simple¹⁰. Well-known venues include Boat Race Heiwajima in Tokyo, Boat Race Suminoe in Osaka, Boat Race Marugame in Kagawa, Boat Race Kojima in Okayama and Boat Race Miyajima in Hiroshima.

Each venue has plenty of free seating, including outdoor seats by the water and indoor seats, so you do not need to pay for a spot on a normal race day².

You are not limited to the races happening at the venue you visit. On days when the local stadium has no racing, it sells betting tickets for races held at other stadiums¹⁰. The same goes for the off-course network: Boat Race ticket shops, such as the one in Kobe Shinkaichi, sell tickets for races at other venues¹¹. A shop like the Iwama ticket shop mainly sells races held at Boat Race Hamanako, plus SG races, premium G1 races and venues in the Kanto region, and it offers night races nationwide every day, mainly from Boat Race Kiryu¹².

For the biggest races of the year, the SG events, the atmosphere at venues is a step up, with bigger crowds and higher prize money on the line. Midnight races, a later-night program, are internet voting only, so you need a membership registration to bet on them¹³.

Bet types and how to fill out a betting card

There are 7 types of betting tickets in Boat Race⁴. All of them can be bought from 100 yen³. The main types, with their approximate hit rates for a single combination, are:

The Trio deserves a note: because you add a third-place boat compared with the two-boat Quinella, you can expect somewhat higher payouts¹⁵.

At the venues, betting is done with OMR betting cards, the mark sheets you fill in with a pencil and then feed into a betting machine². You will find stacks of these cards and pencils around the venue². The rules for filling one in are strict but simple:

• You can only use pencil, and you need to make the marks thick and clear. Pencils are available at every betting venue⁸.
• Fill in the stadium where you are placing your bet. An OMR betting card lists all 24 stadiums, so mark the one whose races you are betting on⁴.
• Fill in the race number. Of the 12 races held that day, mark the number of the race you want¹.
• Fill in the ticket type you want to purchase¹⁶. For three-win bet types like Trio, fill in picks up to 3rd place; for two-win types, up to 2nd place¹⁶.
• Fill in your boat numbers and your stake. The stake uses three units, hundreds, thousands and ten-thousands of yen, so writing 10 and 2 means 12 of that unit¹⁷.

There are two shortcut styles for covering several combinations on one card. The first, sometimes called rotation or "nagashi," fixes one or two boats and buys the related tickets broadly¹⁸. The second, the box or multiple combination, has you pick three boats and buy all their arrangements²⁰.

Once your card is marked, insert it with your money into the betting machine and it prints your tickets¹. Betting tickets can be purchased until the deadline for each race, and the actual race starts at least a few minutes later, which gives you time to grab a seat⁸. Keep hold of your ticket: it is what you insert to collect any winnings, and a ticket that is lost or thrown away cannot be paid⁷.

Minimum bet and minimum age

Bets start at 100 yen, and every one of the 7 ticket types can be bought at that price¹. That low floor is part of the sport's appeal: you can simply pick your favorite color and place a bet with just 100 yen².

The minimum age is 20. In Japan you must be at least 20 years old to bet on Boat Race, and the purchase of betting tickets by persons under 20 is prohibited at race venues¹. This applies to everyone at the venue, including visitors and foreign residents, and it also covers participation in venue events: promotions at venues state plainly that people under 20 cannot buy tickets or take part²². Some venue events, such as beginner classes, are restricted to those 20 and older, and minors may not accompany or join²⁴.

Example bet and payout: a Trio at Suminoe

Here is a worked example from the official guide. You are at Boat Race Suminoe in Osaka, and you like Boats 1, 2 and 4 in the 6th race. A Trio bet asks you to pick the three boats that finish in the first three places, without regard for the order⁸.

You stake 1,500 yen on the combination. The chances of this single Trio combination hitting are 1/20, and the odds shown are 15.3⁸. If Boats 1, 2 and 4 fill the top three in any order, your 1,500 yen bet is multiplied by 15.3, so your prize money is 22,950 yen⁸.

For comparison, on a two-boat bet, if you predict the order 1-3, the odds might be 8.4 times the amount of your bet¹⁴. The general rule is the same at every venue: the displayed rate times your stake is your payout, and all payouts are in yen¹.

Refunds when a boat is scratched or withdrawn

Boat Race has a start unlike any other racing sport, and it produces refunds. The six boats approach the start line timing their run against a large clock. A boat that crosses the line too early, before the clock's needle hits 0, commits a flying start foul (F). A boat that crosses too late, after the needle passes 1, commits a late start foul (L)¹⁴.

In either case, the boat is scratched from the race and bets on that boat are refunded⁷. This is not a rare technicality, so it matters practically: if one of your boats jumps the start, your ticket is not lost.

To collect a refund, or any payout, you simply insert your betting ticket into the betting machine¹. The same applies when a race is ruled invalid for another reason: tickets for a boat that does not race are refunded in full, so keep your ticket³. Under the terms of the betting service, when a ground for invalidity arises under the Motor Boat Racing Law, the bet amount is refunded²⁶.

TELEBOAT: betting from your smartphone

TELEBOAT is the membership service that lets you bet on boat races held across the country from a smartphone, anytime and anywhere⁵. With it, all 24 venues' races are available to you⁵, and tickets start at the same 100 yen minimum⁵. Membership is free, with no joining fee and no annual fee⁵, and live replay video is included at no charge⁵.

Betting applications through the service can only be made by TELEBOAT members²⁶.

How to register with TELEBOAT

Registration is quick if you already bank in the right place. You need an account at one of the designated banks⁵. If you have one, registration takes about 5 minutes in 3 steps⁵:

1. Confirm your bank account⁵
2. Complete the bank transfer agreement⁵
3. Register as a member⁵

Deposits, payouts and withdrawals with TELEBOAT

Money moves between your ordinary bank account and your TELEBOAT account, and the flows are simple.

To deposit, you give a deposit instruction on the voting site, and the funds transfer from your bank account to your TELEBOAT account⁵. Deposits start at 1,000 yen⁵.

To withdraw, you give a settlement instruction on the voting site, and the full amount is transferred from your TELEBOAT account to your bank account⁵. If your bank has system maintenance, a withdrawal may be postponed to the next day or later⁵.

Winnings work automatically. Payout money is first accumulated in your TELEBOAT account⁵. If a purchase balance remains in the account after the final race, the full amount is transferred automatically to your bank account, so money does not get stranded⁵.

When a bet is accepted, the ticket is delivered immediately and held in custody for you by the association, so you are not managing paper tickets yourself²⁶.