DIKK Akita off-course betting shop closed

The Iwate Prefectural Racing Association abolished its DIKK Akita (ディック秋田) off-course betting outlet on March 31, 2022¹. The shop was in Akita City, in Akita Prefecture, north of Iwate¹. The association runs local racing at Morioka Racecourse and Mizusawa Racecourse under the name Iwate Keiba¹.

DIKK Akita was one of the association's off-course ticket sales points, known as TeleTrack, located outside Iwate Prefecture. The association's other out-of-prefecture outlets include:

• TeleTrack Yokote and TeleTrack Yamamoto in Akita Prefecture¹
• Wins Tsugaru and TeleTrack Towada in Aomori Prefecture¹
• TeleTrack Samboongi in Miyagi Prefecture¹

In Iwate Prefecture the association operates TeleTrack Taneichi, UMACCO Morioka Odori, TeleTrack Kamaishi and TeleTrack Ishidoriya¹.

The association has also scheduled further closures. J-PLACE outlets sell Japan Racing Association bets, and the association notes that tickets bought at a Wins outlet cannot be refunded at a J-PLACE outlet, and the reverse also applies¹.

Iwate Keiba's season runs from April to early January each year, with a few days in early March as regular meetings and about six days in mid to late March as a special meeting¹. Racing pauses from around mid-January to mid-March because of snow¹. Morioka hosts mainly in summer and autumn, Mizusawa in spring and winter¹. The association has not reported how many betting terminals or staff were affected by the DIKK Akita closure, or the reason for it.

What it means for players

Anyone who used DIKK Akita to place or collect Iwate Keiba bets lost that counter after March 31, 2022. The association's remaining out-of-prefecture points in the region are TeleTrack Yokote and TeleTrack Yamamoto in Akita Prefecture, and Wins Tsugaru and TeleTrack Towada in Aomori Prefecture¹. Bets can also be placed through the at-home systems Odds Park, Rakuten Keiba and SPAT4, which the association lists as available¹. Tickets bought at a Wins outlet cannot be cashed at a J-PLACE outlet, and J-PLACE tickets cannot be cashed at a Wins outlet, so the outlet named on a ticket matters for collection¹. J-PLACE venues sell all races at all tracks on Saturdays and on Sundays during the winter break, but on other Sundays only three races plus jump graded races¹.

What happens next

No replacement outlet for DIKK Akita has been reported.