Sales of ban'ei racing through J-PLACE, the off-course betting network, expanded to all races at all racecourses from 1 April 2023, according to the Japanese Wikipedia entry on the sport1. The change covers the full race card rather than a limited selection.
Ban'ei is a form of horse racing in which a draft horse pulls a weighted steel sled over a straight 200 meter course with two obstacles, and it is run as a public local racing event only by the city of Obihiro in Hokkaido, under the name Ban'ei Tokachi1. The entry describes it as the only racing of its kind in the world1. The sled itself weighs 450 kg, and the loads added to it come in four weights: 5 kg, 10 kg, 30 kg and 50 kg1. The minimum weight carried is 480 kg, or 460 kg for mares, and the maximum is 1,000 kg, or 980 kg for mares, in the graded race Ban'ei Kinen1. Jockey weight is set at 77 kg for the 2019 fiscal year with no distinction between men and women, and a jockey may ride a maximum of eight times in a day1.
The expansion sits alongside a longer series of betting product changes on the sport. A five-race win-only pool ticket called OddsPark LOTO went on sale on 8 January 2010, sold only through internet betting on OddsPark1. Trifecta and trio bets were introduced on 5 August 2011, with sales at Obihiro starting on 6 August 2011, and bracket quinella was abolished at the same time1.
Prize money has stayed low. The entry states that this remains the lowest level in the country1.
The sport's calendar and venue have also shifted. From fiscal 2007 all race dates have been held at Obihiro Racecourse, and a summer night racing program, Ban'ei Tokachi Night Race, began in the same year1. A heating system was installed in the track in autumn 1994, allowing racing through winter, and from fiscal 2005 the sport has run effectively year round, with a break of about three weeks between the March close and the next season's opening1. A 10-year-old retirement rule has been in force again from fiscal 20241. The entry also notes a relocation opening on 4 October 2024 and a planned closure of business on 28 September 2026, without further detail in the quoted text1.
What it means for players
For anyone betting on Japanese racing, the practical effect is that ban'ei races that were previously outside the J-PLACE off-course network are now covered, so the full card at each venue can be bet away from the track. Ban'ei is a local racing product run only in Obihiro, so its pools are separate from central JRA racing and from other local meetings. The bet types available include win-only multi-race pools, trifecta and trio, each introduced on the dates above1. Payouts are pari-mutuel and prize levels are low by national standards, which the entry attributes to the operator's finances1. Details of which specific J-PLACE outlets sell which ban'ei races, and any commission or fee arrangements, have not been reported in the entry.
What happens next
The entry records a relocation opening on 4 October 2024 and a scheduled end of business on 28 September 20261. No further steps tied to the April 2023 sales expansion are given in the entry.
Sources1 sources
- ばんえい競走 - Wikipedia, ja.wikipedia.org
