How to Make a Keiba Bet: Everything You Need to Know

When it comes to sports betting, Keiba or Horse Racing is one of Japan’s favourite sports. The 21,000 active races held annually including the dozens of races held during weekends and major holidays is enough proof of how much the Japanese enjoy this equestrian sport.

There are three kinds of horse racing in Japan: draft racing, flat racing and jump racing. The Japan Racing Association (JRA) supervises over all of the major horse racing events across the country to ensure that the races adhere to high-quality standards.

Where to Make Your Bet

The JRA has racing tracks all over the country: three in Tokyo, two in Hokkaido, two in northern Honshu, two in the Kansai area, and one in Kyushu. Major racing events with high stakes are normally hosted in these racing tracks and are referred to as the Chuo Keiba or the central horse racing. The Japan Cup is one of the most prestigious horse racing events in Japan and one that is highly anticipated. Other major horse racing tournaments occur in winter, autumn and spring.

There are also local tracks available for bettors far from any of the major tracks. Betting is also accessible online through the JRA site where bettors can tune in to the race via television and bet using their mobile phones.

How to Make a Keiba Bet

A day of horse racing in Japan typically consists of 12 races, with the younger horses participating in the first half of the day. The big races with the more veteran horses normally start at the latter half with the last two races featuring the finest horses and the highest stakes.

Here’s a simple guide on how to make a Keiba bet and make the most out of your day: 

Buy a Betting Ticket

There’s no betting without a betting ticket. First, you should choose a horse to bet on. To pick your horse to bet on, you can base it on racing odds or form guides by experts. You can also simply rely on your intuition.

Once you’ve chosen your horse, fill-up your marked card and turn it in to receive your betting ticket. However, you should first choose what kind of bet to put into your marked card. There are several types of bet you can choose from, each with different odds:

• Tanshou (Win) - Select one horse to finish in 1st place.
• Fukushou (Place or Show) - Select one horse to finish in 2nd or 3rd place.
• Tanpuku (Win, Place or Show) - Select a horse to finish in 1st, 2nd or 3rd place.
• Baren (Quinella) - Select two horses to finish in 1st and 2nd place in any order.
• Batan (Exacta) - Select two horses to finish in exactly 1st and 2nd place.
• Sanrenpuku (Trio) - Select the top three horses in any order.
• Sanrentan (Trifecta) - Select the top three horses in the correct order.
  

How to Fill in the Mark Card

If you’re a beginner, the mark card can seem overwhelming with all of the portions needed to fill up. Here’s a simple guide on how you should fill up your mark cards to get you started on betting:

1. Shade the race track - At the top section of your card, shade in the race track you are currently betting at.
2. Shade the race number - Look for the race section with the Japanese characters ‘レース’. Shade in the race number you want to bet on.
3. Pick a type of bet - Next, pick the type of bet that you want to place. You can choose from the types of bet enumerated earlier. For beginners, the simple bets of a ‘win’ or ‘show’ would be the best place to start.
4. Shade the number of your horse and the bet amount - Shade the number of your chosen horse and the amount that you want to wager. You can wager in denominations of 100, 1,000 and 10,000 yen. For the amount you want to wager on, you have to choose the amount’s corresponding symbol. Here are the kanji characters you should know so you don’t make a mistake when answering this portion:

• 百円: 100 yen
• 千円: 1000 yen
• 万円: 10,000 yen.
  

Once you’ve done all the steps above, it’s time to proceed to the betting machine and receive your betting ticket.

How to Get Your Ticket From a Betting Machine

After filling up your betting card, the last thing to do is to process it on the betting machine to seal the deal. Machines can vary from each racing track but here’s the most basic operation that applies to most machines: insert money then insert the betting card and finally the machine processes your card.

If you don’t have the exact amount of money, you need to press the green button to notify the machine that you’re done with inputting your card and required change.

Don’t worry about making a mistake because the machine will let you know by returning the card back to you. If things get too confusing, you can press the ‘call’ button for attendants to come to your rescue.

When the machine accepts your card, it will exchange it with a betting ticket that will serve as your receipt along with your change, if any. Remember to hang onto your receipt because it’ll be required when you collect your winnings if your chosen horse wins!

Race to the Finish Line

If you ever find yourself visiting the land of the rising sun, then going to one of Japan’s racing tracks and making your first keiba bet should definitely be part of your itinerary. Get to experience the thrill of watching your chosen horse overcome all obstacles and race to the finish line! In the meantime, you can learn more about Japanese card games like Buta No Shippo and Menko.

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