You will be excited to know that all four types of racing are year-round, unlike professional sports like baseball or soccer. Racing days are shown on the websites of each gambling and individual racecourses. The racing days for grade races with higher prizes are determined for a year, while the ones for regular races are decided for the coming few months, except for JRA horse races. Most racecourses operate as OTB (Off-Track Betting) to encourage fans to bet on races going in other racecourses on the day.
1-1. Horse Racing (JRA, Chuo-Keiba) *Chuo=Central, Keiba=Horse Racing
- In general, racing days are on weekends. Only a few racing days are on weekdays in a year.
- Racing days are shown online for an entire year.
- No morning races or evening races are held at JRA horse racing.
1-2. Horse racing (NRA, Chihou-Keiba) *Chihou=Regional, Keiba=Horse racing
- Most racecourses hold races for three to five days in a row.
- Some of the racecourses in the northern part don’t hold races during winter from December through March due to snowy conditions.
2. Boat Racing
Racing days of motorboat racing
- Most races are scheduled for four to seven days in a row.
- Each of the 24 racecourses holds races for an average of 15 days per month. Racing days are the most densely scheduled among all types of race gambling.
- Races are susceptible to weather conditions. They aren’t usually canceled on snowy days but canceled on windy days when the water surface is expected to be extremely choppy.
3. Bicycle Racing (Keirin)
- Most races are scheduled for three to four days in a row.
- Weather doesn’t affect racing days at the racecourses of Maebashi, Chiba, and Kokura because their races are held indoors. Keirin is the only gambling facility with indoor racecourses.
4. Motorcycle Racing (Autorace)
Racing days of motorcycle racing
- In general, races are scheduled for three to five days in a row.