Motorboat Racing in South Korea

Motorboat racing, known in Korean as gyeongjeong (경정), runs at Misari Motorboat Racing Park in Hanam, Gyeonggi-do, with six boats per heat, a flying start, 2 laps of a 1,200-meter course, and four pari-mutuel bet types. If you have ever watched a Japanese kyotei boat race, the Korean version follows the same idea: small, powerful boats driven by licensed pilots, racing around a fixed course while the crowd bets on the finishing order. It is one of the country's legal pari-mutuel betting products, alongside horse racing and cycle racing. This page explains how the races work, what you can bet on, how to read the results, and what happens to your money whether you win or not.

What KBOAT motorboat racing is

KBOAT is the brand name for Korea's motorboat racing, operated under the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation. The main venue is Misari Motorboat Racing Park on the Han River in Hanam, Gyeonggi-do, with off-course branches around the country where you can watch and bet on the races⁵.

Each race is a contest between six boats¹. The standard race format is a flying start over 2 laps of the course, a total of 1,200 meters⁶. The flying start is the defining feature of the sport: unlike a standing start, the boats are already moving at full speed when they cross the start line. A boat must pass the start line between 0 and 1.0 seconds before the official start time; cross it too early and the boat is judged to have "flown" the start, cross it too late and the boat is left behind¹.

The build-up to the start follows a set sequence. When the large display clock starts running, the six boats leave the mooring dock together at the start signal. About 60 seconds before the start they cruise at low speed, waiting for their moment. At 15 seconds to go, the six boats turn toward the start line and line up in their entry positions. From about 8 seconds before the start they go to full sprint, and KBOAT uses a flying start, meaning each boat must cross the start line within 1.0 second while still at speed¹. KBOAT currently uses a fixed entry method (진입고정방식), meaning each boat has a designated position as it approaches the line¹.

Before the racing begins, each pilot also performs a demonstration run, cruising the race water surface at full speed for up to 2 laps. This lets the crowd see each pilot's skill and how the boat is performing before betting closes¹. KBOAT also measures and publishes the time each boat covers the 335 meters from the mooring dock to the flying start line, which is one of the key pieces of form information you can use when picking your bets¹.

A typical race day card runs to 14 races, all in the same general flying format⁶.

Bet types and how odds are shown

KBOAT offers four pari-mutuel bet types. In a pari-mutuel system, all the money staked on a bet type goes into a pool, the pool pays the winners, and the odds you see are the payout ratio per 1 unit. The four types are²:

• 단승식 (win): pick the boat that finishes first
• 연승식 (place): pick a boat that finishes in the top places
• 삼복승식 (trio): pick the three boats that finish in the top three, in any order
• 삼쌍승식 (trifecta): pick the first, second and third finishers in the exact order

The simplest bets are the easiest place to start. A win bet on one boat pays if that boat crosses the line first. At the harder end, the trifecta asks you to name the entire podium in order, which is where the long-odds money sits.

Odds are displayed as a confirmed payout ratio for each bet type. The notation is straightforward once you know the pattern: a figure such as (1)2.7 means the confirmed odds for that bet type on boat number 1 are 2.7⁷. So if you bet the win pool on boat 1 and it wins, your ticket pays out at that ratio of the amount you staked. The same notation applies to every bet type; for combination bets the boat numbers appear in order, for example a trifecta shown as (6-2-1) with odds of 5.3 means the boats finished 6 first, 2 second and 1 third, and trifecta tickets on that exact order paid 5.3 times the stake⁸.

Because the betting is pari-mutuel, the odds move as money comes into each pool, and the final confirmed figure is only fixed when betting closes. The confirmed odds for each bet type are published immediately after the race ends⁴.

Reading results on the KBOAT results service

KBOAT publishes results for every race on its online results service. The timing works in two stages: immediately after the race ends, the service shows the first, second and third place finishers and the confirmed odds for each bet type. Then, once the referee's ruling is confirmed, the detailed race records appear, including the start times and other performance data⁴.

Two notations are worth knowing before you open a results page:

• Odds notation. A figure like (1)2.7 means the confirmed odds for that bet type on boat 1 are 2.7⁹. The number in brackets is the boat number, and the figure after it is the payout ratio.
• Empty brackets. If a boat number is shown as [], []-[] or []-[]-[], it means that bet type was canceled for the race or had no winner⁷. This happens, for example, when a race loses so many starters that a bet type cannot be settled; tickets on the canceled bet type are refunded.

The results service also carries the race records from the demonstration runs and the 335-meter start-time measurements, which is where the form study happens between races¹.

Refund rules when races are void or short of starters

Refunds are a normal part of motorboat racing, because boats are machines and races do not always go to plan. KBOAT's refund rules are set out by the number of boats that actually start or finish¹⁰:

The start rules also produce refunds. A pilot judged to have started too early (Flying) or too late is excluded from the race, and the winner voting tickets on that pilot are refunded to customers¹.

One rule catches out newcomers: once a boat has passed the start line normally, anything that happens afterward is part of the race. If the boat capsizes, the pilot falls overboard, the boat sinks, or it fails to finish for any other reason, tickets related to that boat are not refunded. The pilot is disqualified under the race rules and may face sanctions such as suspension, but your ticket on that boat is simply a losing ticket¹⁰.

On race day, refunds are paid at the sales counter after each race's finishing order is confirmed. There is one gap in service: to keep ticket sales running quickly, no refunds are processed from 7 minutes before betting closes until betting on the next race opens¹⁰. If you miss that window, come back after the next race has started.

At the Misari main venue, the ticket office on the 2nd floor of the spectator operations building handles refunds on Monday, Tuesday and Friday from 10:00 to 17:00. Refunds are not processed at the main venue on Saturday or Sunday¹¹.

Lost or stolen tickets can be reported through the customer center under the lost racing ticket report menu. A ticket damaged so badly that the original form cannot be identified cannot be refunded, so keep your tickets somewhere safe¹⁰.

Claiming winnings: payout times and the 1-year claim period

Winning tickets and purchase vouchers are valid for one year from the date of issue³. After that year, the claim expires. This one-year rule is standard across Korea's racing products; the same period applies to winning tickets under the racing legislation, and to the claim periods on the country's lottery and Toto games¹².

Payouts are calculated automatically by computer processing, and the amount due on a winning ticket is paid in cash or as a purchase voucher of 100,000 won or less¹⁰. In practice, smaller winnings are often handed back as a voucher you can put straight toward your next ticket.

The practical rhythm on race day is the same as for refunds: collect your winnings at the sales counter once the finishing order for the race is confirmed, keeping in mind the no-payout window from 7 minutes before betting closes until the next race's betting opens¹⁰.

A first look at a results page, step by step

If you open the KBOAT results service for the first time, here is how to read it:

1. Find your race. Results are organized by meeting, day and race number, so match the number on your ticket to the race on the screen.
2. Check the top three. Immediately after the race ends, the first, second and third place boats are shown⁴. This is the fastest way to see if your ticket has a chance.
3. Read the confirmed odds. Next to each bet type you will see figures like (1)2.7. The bracketed number is the boat, the figure after it is the payout ratio for that bet type⁹. Find the bet type you played, then find your boat number or combination.
4. Watch for empty brackets. If you see [], []-[] or []-[]-[] where a boat number should be, that bet type was canceled or had no winner, and your ticket is due a refund rather than a payout⁷.
5. Wait for the detail. Once the referee's ruling is confirmed, the detailed race records appear, including start times and the 335-meter approach measurements⁴. If a photo finish or a start-line judgment is in question, this is when it gets settled.

If you cannot get online, the same results are available by phone (numbers below).

Useful numbers and address

KBOAT's main venue and offices are at 505 Misadaero, Hanam-si, Gyeonggi-do, postal code 12900⁵. The numbers worth saving:

• Results by phone: 031-790-8306 is the results service line². There is also a paid results ARS line at 031-790-8000, staffed Wednesday and Thursday 09:00 to 18:00 and Friday to Sunday 10:00 to 19:00, with an automatic ARS connection outside those hours¹².
• General customer service: 02-2067-5000 (paid) or 080-008-5000 (toll free)¹².
• Racing Service Team: 02-2067-5824, for questions about winner voting tickets¹³.
• Sales computer team: 02-2067-5583, for issues with ticket sales systems¹⁴.
• Gyeongjeong planning: 031-790-8304⁵.

Related racing and betting in South Korea

Motorboat racing sits alongside two other pari-mutuel racing products run on similar principles. Cycle racing (경륜, gyeongryun) is the velodrome equivalent, with riders sprinting over a fixed track, and horse racing offers the same pool-based bet types at the LetsRun Park tracks. All three share the pari-mutuel structure, the one-year claim period and the same family of win, place and combination bets, so once you are comfortable reading a KBOAT results page, the other two will feel familiar.

Beyond racing, South Korea's legal betting options include the Sports toto pools on fixed sports results, the Proto fixed-odds product, and the national lottery. For the full picture of what you can play, where, and the rules that apply to citizens, foreign residents and visitors, see gambling in South Korea.