When searching for an establishment in Japan, copy and paste the words “ボートレース” or “競艇” into the search box, then enter the name of the place where you are located after putting a space.
Hello, this is Kei! How are you guys doing?
Today, I am going to explain about 「BOAT RACE(KYOTEI)」 in Japan!
◆What is 「BOAT RACE(KYOTEI)?」
In 「BOAT RACE」, six boats equipped with engines and piloted by boat racers make three laps of the racing surface, each of which is 600 meters long, and compete for the best finish.
The maximum speed of the boats is said to be 80 kilometers per hour, and the speed of the racers is 120 kilometers per hour.
In a fast race, the finish would be decided in 1 minute and 42 seconds.
Unlike 「HORSE RACING(KEIBA)」 and 「KEIRIN」, where the direction of the lap and the distance to be raced vary depending on the race and the place where the race is held, in 「BOAT RACE」, a total of 1,800 meters is run in a left-handed direction at all of the 24 boat racecourses in Japan.
Also, girls can become boat racers, too.
There are about 1,600 boat racers in Japan, and about 10% of them, roughly 160, are female racers.
In 「BOAT RACE」, girls also compete in high level races, and both genders run the same races under almost the same conditions.
It’s not just the girls, but the age range of the racers that is surprising, from teenagers who have just turned pro to veterans in their seventies!
The record for the highest victory in 「BOAT RACE」 is held by Seiichi Takatsuka, who won the July 4, 2021 race at the Toda Racecourse. His age was… 74!
And Jiro Takahashi, who came in third in that race, was 72 years old!
There were only two racers in their seventies, and they both raced well!
It seems like anyone can become a boat racer, but it’s still a tough competition with the risk of losing one’s life.
To become a professional boat racer, you must enter a boat racer training school and pass a year of rigorous training. Nearly 1,000 people take the test every year, and only about 50 are admitted.
◆Attraction of 「BOAT RACE」
【1】Overwhelmingly easy to guess
First of all, the most attractive thing about 「BOAT RACE」 is that it is easy to win.
Compared to other forms of gambling, 「HORSE RACING(KEIBA)」 has a maximum of 18 horses, 「KEIRIN」 has a maximum of nine, and 「AUTO RACE」 has a maximum of eight cars, while 「BOAT RACE」 has six boats competing for the order of finish.
With that in mind, let’s think about the number of tickets you can buy for the “trifecta,” which is the highest payout, and the number of tickets you can buy when you buy all the tickets for each…
・「HORSE RACING(KEIBA)」
Maximum of 18 horses⇒4,896 possible ways to buy trifecta
・「KEIRIN」
Maximum of 8 cars⇒504 possible ways to buy trifecta
・「AUTO RACE」
Maximum of 8 cars⇒336 possible ways to buy trifecta
・「BOAT RACE」
Maximum of 6 boats⇒120 possible ways to buy trifecta
In fact, you can buy all possible patterns in 「BOAT RACE」 for 1/40th of 「HORSE RACING(KEIBA)」.
As with other forms of gambling, you can participate in 「BOAT RACE」 for as little as 100 yen per ticket, which means that even if you buy all the possible patterns, you only need to pay 12,000 Japanese yen.
It is true that 「BOAT RACE」 is not as good as 「HORSE RACING(KEIBA)」, 「KEIRIN」, or 「AUTO RACE」 in terms of payout, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get rich.
The highest payout ever in 「BOAT RACE」 was 682,760 Japanese yen on May 22, 2011 at Tokuyama Racecourse.
What do you think? Do you think it’s not that much money?
It is true that if you compare it to 「KEIRIN」 and 「AUTO RACE」, which can pay out millions of dollars when they are rough, or 「HORSE RACING(KEIBA)」, which can pay out tens of millions of Japanese yen, you may feel that it is not enough.
Since you can limit the number of tickets you buy, it is easy to increase the amount of money you can bet per ticket.
If you were betting 500 yen per ticket in a race… if you were betting 1,000 yen per ticket, you could aim for a high payout in one shot. haha
Anyway, it’s overwhelmingly easy to guess, and on top of that, there is a “dream”.
【2】Classification
There is a classification system in 「BOAT RACE」, and racers are divided into four classes from the top, A1, A2, B1, and B2, based on their performance and skills.
The approximate distribution of the 1,600 racers is as follows: A1 – 20%, A2 – 20%, B1 – 50%, and the rest will become B2.
The most prestigious races, with the most prize money, are only open to A1 racers, and the higher the class, the more opportunities there are to compete.
This is an important point in making predictions, because sometimes racers from different classes play in the same race.
【3】Keep an eye on the start
The starting system for 「BOAT RACE」 is called the flying start system, and each racecourse has a clock, commonly known as the “big clock,” set up in a position where it can be seen by the racers.
Racers have to start their race according to the movement of the big clock.
If you cross the line earlier than 0 seconds, you are considered to be flying, and if you cross the line 1 second too late, you are considered to be late and miss the race.
Keep an eye on the start!
◆How to participate in 「BOAT RACE」
【1】Purchase boat tickets at the racecourse
There are 24 boat racecourses in Japan, and they have automatic ticket machines where you can buy boat tickets with cash.
The mark sheets for voting are usually located near the machines, so you can easily find them.
There are two things you need to take care of when purchasing a boat ticket.
First, don’t forget to take the boat ticket that comes out in exchange for the mark sheet!
Second, watch the cutoff time!
I’ll show you two more ways to buy boat tickets, but it’s the same for all methods.
In 2016, the cutoff time was changed from two minutes to one minute before the race time, but you should buy a ticket well in advance.
【2】Purchase boat tickets at an off-site ticket office
There are more than 70 off-site boat ticket offices in Japan, which are facilities designed for the purchase of boat tickets outside of racecourses.
It is sometimes called 「BOAT PIER」.
The purchase of boat tickets is done on a mark sheet system, the same as when purchasing boat tickets at a racecourse.
If you have any questions about how to buy, please don’t hesitate to ask the staff.
【3】Purchase boat tickets on the Internet
Just like 「HORSE RACING(KEIBA)」 and 「KEIRIN」, 「BOAT RACE」 also allows you to vote online.
All you have to do is register for free with a service called 「TELEBOAT」!
It’s easy to use, and it’s very convenient because it supports a large number of banks.
◆Type of boat ticket
I told you that 「BOAT RACE」 is easy to guess, but there are also some boat tickets that are hard to guess, so it’s worth knowing the characteristics of each boat ticket. There are seven types of boat tickets in 「BOAT RACE」.
【1】Quinella
This is a ticket that guesses the boat that will come in first.
In 「BOAT RACE」, there are six boats competing, so the chance of winning is naturally 1/6.
【2】Place
This is a ticket that guesses the boat that will come in the top two.
The target rate is 1/3, which is about 33%. However, the payout is low because it is easy to guess. But if you want to try to win, you may want to start with this ticket.
【3】Quinella Place
This is a ticket that guesses the combination of two boats that come within the first three places.
The three target combinations are “first and second,” “second and third,” and “first and third”.
【4】Quinella
This is a ticket that guesses the boats that will come in first and second place. In other words, if you can choose the two boats that will finish in the top two, you will win.
Even if the boats that come in first and second are opposite, it is still a winning ticket, and the winning rate is 6.6%.
【5】Exacta
This is no different from Quinella in that it guesses the boats that will come in first and second.
However, if the boats don’t finish in the same order, you won’t win. The target rate is about 3.3%.
【6】Trio
This is a ticket that guesses the combination of boats that will come in the top three.
Like Quinella, you don’t have to worry about the order of the first three places.
【7】Trifecta
This is a ticket that guesses the combination of the top three finishers in order.
Since you have to guess the order, it is much more difficult to win.
◆How to predict 「BOAT RACE」
【1】Check the frame number
The first important thing is the frame. Each of the six boats in a race is assigned a frame number from 1 to 6, starting with the boat closest to the corner. In 「BOAT RACE」, the first boat has a big advantage.
There is also the simple fact that the closer you are to the corner, the less distance you have to travel, and the less you have to worry about pace distribution on a motor-driven boat.
Once a race reaches the top speed, it can be sustained, so if you take the lead at the first corner, the race is often settled as it is. So, basically, the first boat has the advantage. I hope you will keep this in mind.
【2】Check out the features of each boat racecourse
As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, 「BOAT RACE」 is a competition of 600m x 3 laps = 1800m. The distance of the race is the same everywhere, but each racecourse has its own characteristics, and by keeping these in mind, the accuracy of the forecast can be improved.
I can’t introduce you to all of the 24 racecourses in Japan, but let’s take a look at the features of the three most famous ones, along with some points to keep in mind when making predictions!
≪ⅰ≫Toda Racecourse
Of all the racecourses in Japan, Toda Racecourse has the lowest win rate for the first boat. The reason for this is that the Toda Racecourse has the narrowest course widths in Japan. The narrower the course, the closer the boat is to the corner, the more cramped the cornering becomes physically.
≪ⅱ≫Edogawa Racecourse
After all, its greatest feature is that it’s the only one in the whole country that uses a river! In addition to the predictions made at other racecourses, the current of the river has to be taken into account. Furthermore, strong winds tend to blow, and the geography of the area, using a river but close to the ocean, also makes forecasting difficult, as the surface of the water is easily roughed up by the collision of the tide and wind.
≪ⅲ≫Fukuoka Racecourse
In 「BOAT RACE」, it is important to read the weather and consider the influence of nature on the race, and this is especially important at Fukuoka Racecourse. Depending on the tide and the direction and strength of the wind, there is a unique swell at the Fukuoka Racecourse.
This swell makes it difficult to control the boat when making turns, especially for players on the center course. So, the in-course is even more advantageous.
【3】Check the motor
It is the motor that drives the boat, and it is said that this motor has more influence on the winner than the skill of the racers. Although the companies that manufacture the motors are the same, they deteriorate and wear out with use, which inevitably creates a difference between good and bad motors.
Obviously, every racer wants to play with a good motor, but the motor is decided by lottery. The motor can be serviced by the racer before the race, and if the racer is a good mechanic, the motor can be restored to a good condition.
However, there is no better way than to draw a good motor from the start. You can easily find out which players have good motors and which players have bad motors on the “BOAT RACE Official Site”!
◆People who is suited for 「BOAT RACE」
- Like boats.
- Want to experience the realism of a boat racecourse
- Interested in gambling and gambling lovers.
- Want to win a lot of money and play with girls in 「BOAT RACE」
- Want to make money with the click of a button
- Want to meet girls who like 「BOAT RACE」
- Want to make friends through 「BOAT RACE」
◆People who is suited for 「BOAT RACE」
- Don’t feel attracted to 「BOAT RACE」
- Do not like gambling
- Lose self-control when gambling
- Have no money to buy boat tickets.
- Don’t want to play with girls who like 「BOAT RACE」
◆Summary
Well, how did it go, guys? Did it inspire you to try 「BOAT RACE」?
Of all the public gambling events in Japan, 「BOAT RACE」 is the easiest to win. It’s not a lie that it’s easy to win, so I hope you’ll give it a try.
I’ll be praying for everyone’s victory from the bottom of my heart!
See you later, that was Kei!