Latest data published by the Japanese Keirin Autorace Foundation (JKA) reveals that the recent growth of keirin gambling in Japan has continued for another year.
Betting turnover in the year to March 31, 2026 totalled 1.5487 trillion yen – US$ 9.77 billion, or GB£ 7.33 billion, up 16.6% on the 2025 figure.
This total includes revenue from the PIST6 format, which suspended operations half-way through the year, and has yet to announce a return.
It means that keirin has once again recorded year-on-year growth, continuing a positive trend which began in 2013.
Betting revenue is now almost 2.5x higher than a decade ago.
| Year | Total betting turnover | vs previous year |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 630,805,270,900 yen | 102.4% |
| 2016 | 634,598,214,600 yen | 100.6% |
| 2017 | 640,006,209,000 yen | 100.9% |
| 2018 | 654,117,125,300 yen | 102.2% |
| 2019 | 660,460,555,100 yen | 101.0% |
| 2020 | 749,990,196,400 yen | 113.6% |
| 2021 | 964,613,447,100 yen | 128.6% |
| 2022 | 1,090,779,290,200 yen | 113.1% |
| 2023 | 1,189,248,177,600 yen | 123.3% |
| 2024 | 1,328,244,006,800 yen | 111.7% |
| 2025 | 1,548,781,163,200 yen | 116.6% |
Meanwhile, horse-racing in the UK – which, as we have noted previously, is of a broadly similar scale to keirin in Japan – saw total betting turnover decline by 4.3% in 2025, with average turnover per race falling by 5.6%. The British Horseracing Authority notes that revenue is actually up 1.1% for its Premier fixtures, but down 8.1% for its ‘Core’ fixtures.
