Weekday payout service at WINS Himeji ended

The weekday payout service at WINS Himeji, the off-track betting counter operated inside Himeji Racecourse in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture, ended on 24 February 2026¹. The facility is owned and run by the Hyogo Prefecture Racing Association¹.

WINS Himeji sells and pays out tickets on Japan Racing Association (JRA) races, and has done so since 2003, when central racing off-track sales began there¹. Sales started on Sundays only in 2003 and expanded to Saturdays and Sundays from 2004¹. The outlet was originally named Himeji Off-Track and was formally renamed WINS Himeji (inside Himeji Racecourse) in January 2012¹.

The weekday payout window ran on Mondays from 10:00 to 16:00¹. On public holidays falling on a Monday, substitute holidays, and weekday or replacement race days around the New Year, WINS Himeji generally sold JRA tickets when no racing was held at Sonoda¹. The source does not state why the weekday payout service has ended, nor whether any replacement service will be offered.

Himeji Racecourse itself opened on 28 September 1949, replacing the former Awaji Racecourse, and has a capacity of 15,400 people, with 1,660 parking spaces at the adjacent lot¹. It has a dirt course only, run right-handed, 1,200 meters around, with a 230-meter straight and a full gate of 12 horses; races are run over 800, 1,400, 1,500, 1,800 and 2,000 meters¹. Local racing at the track stopped after autumn 2012 and resumed in January 2020, the first meeting there in eight seasons, and meetings have been held each year from January to March since¹. Entry is free, having been 100 yen before the 2012 suspension; paid parking costs 1,000 yen on race days and 500 yen on off-track sales days, with entry free after 15:30¹. From April 2026 the track takes the nickname Himeji Urban Keiba¹.

What it means for players

For anyone holding a JRA ticket bought at WINS Himeji, the Monday payout window is no longer available as of 24 February 2026¹. The source does not say where those tickets can now be cashed, so no alternative payout point can be confirmed from it. Weekend sales and payouts at the outlet, and the separate local racing meetings at Himeji Racecourse, are not described as affected by this change¹. Visitors and residents who used the Monday window for JRA bets placed elsewhere should note that the source gives no information on whether other outlets in the region have taken over that function.

What happens next

The track is due to carry the nickname Himeji Urban Keiba from April 2026¹. No further dated steps connected to the end of the weekday payout service have been reported.