Japan: jockeys and trainers involved in betting on horse races

A scandal has emerged in the prefecture of Gifu after it was found that jockeys and trainers had been betting on horse races since at least 2012.

Japan.- A scandal around horseracing betting has emerged after an investigation detected that some jockeys and trainers from the Kasamatsu Racecourse, a National Association of Racing venue, were involved in betting on horse races.

According to local media, nearly 50 members of the Kasamatsu Racecourse were involved in the illegal betting scandal, and 12 people have had licences suspended or revoked

The investigation found jockeys and trainers had gambling winnings over US$1m since 2012.

Horseracing proceeds in Japan increased by 30.1 per cent in fiscal year 2020 to JPY912.29bn (US$8.4bn) thanks to online betting during the Covid-19 pandemic.