Japan: online gambling drives betting on bicycle races

In 2020, bicycle racing ticket sales rose to nearly JPY750bn (US$6.9bn), a 13.6 per cent increase year-on-year.

Japan.- Similar to the effect seen in horseracing, bicycle racing (known as Keirin) is growing in popularity in Japan due to the rise of online gambling during the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to new data, during the last year, overall ticket sales rose to nearly JPY750bn (US$6.9bn), a 13.6 per cent increase year-on-year.

Analysts say that the possibility of watching the races from home fueled online betting although some venues have been closed due to new Covid-19 countermeasures.

There are currently 43 velodromes for bicycle racing in Japan and most of them are operated by city governments, which use the profits to invest in the expansion of public services.

Horseracing off-track betting facilities have been suspended in Japan as well as the presence of spectators at races in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo prefectures.