Live video streaming of all races on the internet began from the first day of the first Nakayama meeting, the first day of the second Hanshin meeting and the fifth day of the second Chukyo meeting, according to the Japanese Wikipedia article on central racing (Chuo Keiba)1. Central racing is run by the Japan Racing Association (JRA)1.
The article states that live streaming of all race videos on the internet started from those meetings1. It does not give the date on which the streaming began, and no start date has been reported1.
Central racing takes place at 10 racecourses and runs on up to 288 days a year1. A meeting is normally built around four weekends, eight days in total, and the annual schedule runs from January 5 to December 28 so that it does not clash with local racing over the New Year period1. Race days normally begin with the first race at around 10:00 and end with the last race at around 16:15, with a lunch break in between; since 2013 the final race of the day has been set at 16:25 outside the summer twilight meetings and the winter months, when daylight is short1.
The same article records other changes to how the product is sold and watched. It says the five-race win bet, WIN5, went on sale only through internet betting, and that Saturday sales of WIN5 became a year-round fixture1. It also records that from the 2015 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, the JRA began selling betting tickets on overseas races, including the Dubai World Cup and other Dubai international races, the Arc and four Hong Kong International Races, with races featuring Japanese runners sold over the internet1.
On attendance, the article gives admission prices of 200 yen at Tokyo, Nakayama, Kyoto, Hanshin and Chukyo, and 100 yen at Sapporo, Hakodate, Fukushima, Niigata and Kokura, with entry free for under-15s1. A JRA common admission book of eight tickets costs 1,000 yen1. Entry to a racecourse for a minor, defined as under 20, requires a parent or guardian, while WINS off-course betting offices bar minors because the purpose of the visit is buying betting tickets1. Gates normally open at 9:00 and ticket sales and payouts normally start at 9:201. Under the Racing Law, anyone under 20 is banned from buying or receiving a betting ticket1.
What it means for players
For anyone betting on Japanese central racing, the change means every race at the meetings covered can be watched live online rather than only followed through results or in-venue screens. That applies to the three meetings named, and the article does not say whether the streaming was extended to all racecourses or all meetings1.
The practical limits that already applied to betting are unchanged. Buying or receiving a betting ticket under the age of 20 is prohibited by the Racing Law, and WINS offices do not admit minors1. Racecourse admission for under-20s requires a parent or guardian, and under-15s enter free1. Admission costs 200 yen at the five main tracks and 100 yen elsewhere1.
For overseas followers, the article notes that the JRA already sells tickets on selected overseas races, including the Arc, Dubai international races and four Hong Kong International Races, with internet sales for races that include Japanese runners1. How the new streaming interacts with those overseas pools is not stated1.
What happens next
No date for the start of streaming, no list of which meetings or racecourses are covered beyond the three named, and no details of the streaming service, its cost or its availability outside Japan have been reported1.
Sources1 sources
- 中央競馬 - Wikipedia, ja.wikipedia.org
