Betfair Australia won’t take bets on Japanese horse racing and the coronavirus isn’t involved.
The decision followed a similar move to withdraw from Hong Kong racing in September due to opposition from the Hong Kong Jockey Club, which argued that Betfair’s offering created integrity issues, as bettors were allowed to bet on a horse to lose, according to Asian Gaming Brief.
“We launched Japanese racing on the exchange in March 2020 in order to continue meeting the needs and interests of our customers during what was a time of unprecedented uncertainty for racing, and we know many punters love the product,” Betfair said. “Unfortunately, Hong Kong and Japan still have a view that a betting exchange poses risk to the integrity of a race.”
Betfair said the Japan Racing Association threatened to stop horses competing in Australia and to pull its feeds over the issue.
The company disputes the JRA and HKJC’s contention that allowing bets on a losing horse presents integrity problems, as the same outcome can be achieved by backing the other runners.
