Japan's motorboat racing operators abolished written applications for self-reported suspension of internet betting and replaced them with an online procedure using a deposit limit floor of 0 yen, effective November 12, 2025 (R7.11.12)1.
The change was set out in a government document on measures by gambling-related businesses, which states: "R7.11.12より書面申請を廃止し、オンラインによる入金限度下限額０円によることとした。"1. The same note adds that self-reported suspension figures from November 12, 2025 onward are not included in the "本人申告" (self-reported) counts1.
The document gives cumulative counts of entry restrictions and internet betting suspension measures at public racing venues and off-track sales offices, by racing type, as of the end of March in each of the last three fiscal years1:
| Racing type | FY2023 end (self-reported / family / total) | FY2024 end (self-reported / family / total) | FY2025 end (self-reported / family / total) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central horse racing | 4,761 / 137 / 4,898 | 5,828 / 174 / 6,002 | 6,986 / 210 / 7,196 |
| Local horse racing | 1,435 / 17 / 1,452 | 1,747 / 27 / 1,774 | 2,092 / 33 / 2,125 |
| Keirin | 1,926 / 35 / 1,961 | 2,583 / 52 / 2,635 | 3,323 / 68 / 3,391 |
| Auto race | 294 / 5 / 299 | 400 / 9 / 409 | 521 / 10 / 531 |
| Motorboat racing | 4,415 / 81 / 4,496 | 6,746 / 129 / 6,875 | 8,326 / 165 / 8,491 |
| Total | 12,831 / 275 / 13,106 | 17,304 / 391 / 17,695 | 21,248 / 486 / 21,734 |
The document also lists cumulative counts of purchase limit settings for internet betting, with the number of 0 yen upper limits in brackets as of the end of fiscal 2025: central horse racing 59,818 (8,290); local horse racing 33,395 (8,757); keirin 111,056 (3,006); auto race 3,209 (270); motorboat racing 13,264 (7,014); total 220,742 (27,337)1. For motorboat racing, the document notes that the 0 yen deposit limit floor is treated as equivalent to a suspension measure, and that credit card and post-payment settlement are not permitted for motorboat racing internet betting1.
What it means for players
For anyone betting on boat racing (kyotei) in Japan, the route to a self-imposed stop on internet betting changed on November 12, 2025. Instead of filing a written application, a player now uses an online procedure that sets the deposit limit floor at 0 yen1. The document treats that 0 yen deposit limit as equivalent to a suspension of internet betting for motorboat racing1.
The counts above show that motorboat racing accounts for the largest share of self-reported suspensions among the five public racing types, at 8,326 of 21,248 self-reported cases as of the end of fiscal 20251. Because the note excludes suspensions made through the new online procedure from the self-reported totals from November 12, 2025 onward, the motorboat racing figures in the table do not capture cases handled under the new method1.
The same document states that entry restrictions at race venues and off-track sales offices still require procedures at the venue itself1. It also notes that credit card and post-payment settlement are not permitted for motorboat racing internet betting1.
For general information on self-exclusion and support, see Safer Gambling in Asia. For the wider legal picture, see Can I Gamble in Japan? and Legal Online Betting in Japan: Racing, Boat Race and Keirin Accounts.
What happens next
The document does not set out further dated steps for the motorboat racing online procedure beyond the November 12, 2025 change1. No start date for including the new online suspensions in the published self-reported counts has been reported1.
Sources1 sources
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