Betting and payout operations at the original Haronz Iwamizawa facility in Iwamizawa, Hokkaido were temporarily suspended on September 16, 2024, according to the operator Obihiro City, which runs Ban'ei racing1. The same announcement said sales and payouts were scheduled to begin on October 4 at a new location at Minamimachi 8-jo 3-chome 152-1 in the same city1.
The original facility, at 6-jo Nishi 2-chome 1-3, opened on June 19, 19881. It was owned by Iwamizawa City and leased to Ban'ei racing, with the first floor used by Ban'ei racing1.
Iwamizawa City had set out in its March 2019 public facilities reorganization plan a policy of ending the city's provision of the facility around the 2022 to 2025 fiscal years, citing the building's advancing deterioration and the possibility of moving the function to private premises1. The relocation was subsequently decided1.
The two facilities differ in size and services:
| Item | Original facility | Replacement facility |
|---|---|---|
| Address | 6-jo Nishi 2-chome 1-3, Iwamizawa, Hokkaido | Minamimachi 8-jo 3-chome 152-1, Iwamizawa, Hokkaido |
| Opened | June 19, 1988 | October 4 |
| Sales machines | 14 automatic | 10 automatic |
| Payout machines | 3 automatic, 1 staffed window | 5 automatic |
| Betting unit | 100 yen for all bet types | 100 yen for all bet types |
| Food and shops | Not stated | None (vending machines provided) |
| Nearest station | About 10 minutes on foot from Iwamizawa Station | About 12 minutes by car from Iwamizawa Station |
The replacement facility is operated by Obihiro City (Ban'ei racing)1. A statue of the Ban'ei horse Katsutaro that stood at the original site was moved to a separate building at the new facility1. The original facility's opening hours were in principle 11:00 to 18:00 for daytime racing, 13:30 to 21:00 for night racing and 9:20 to 17:00 for JRA racing1.
The facility sells Ban'ei racing tickets and acts as an off-course outlet for Hokkaido racing and other regional racing, mainly Minami-Kanto public racing, as well as JRA races under the J-PLACE Iwamizawa name1.
What it means for players
For anyone who used the original Haronz Iwamizawa site, betting and payout counters there stopped operating on September 16, 20241. The replacement site is in a different part of Iwamizawa, at Minamimachi 8-jo 3-chome 152-1, and is reached by about 12 minutes by car from Iwamizawa Station rather than the roughly 10 minute walk from the station that served the original building1. The new site has fewer sales machines, 10 instead of 14, but more payout machines, five instead of three, and no staffed payout window1. It has no canteen or shop, though vending machines are provided1. Betting units remain 100 yen for all bet types, and the same pools, Ban'ei, Hokkaido and other regional racing and JRA races, are sold1.
What happens next
Sales and payouts at the replacement facility were scheduled to start on October 41. No further changes have been reported.
Sources1 sources
- ハロンズ岩見沢 - Wikipedia, ja.wikipedia.org
