Revenue of the amusement industry in Japan 2020, by segment

In 2020 in Japan, amusement centers, including pachinko halls, generated a revenue of approximately 16 trillion Japanese yen. Most of the revenue in the amusement sector comes from the gambling industry, most notably from pachinko. Sports race betting, such as horse racing and motorboat racing, was the other big segment in the amusement sector.

 Gambling industry is large

The amusement sector is comprised of various segments, including movie theaters, facilities for public entertainment such as theaters, sports race betting (e.g., horse racing), sports facilities, parks and theme parks, and amusement halls such as pachinko parlors. Gambling comprises the majority of the revenue generated in the amusement sector. Revenues from pachinko, which includes sales at pachinko halls on the one hand and revenue generated by the pachinko machine manufacturing industry on the other hand, comprise the majority of the market value. Sports race betting is also a sizable and is a segment that has undergone considerable expansion with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 Horse racing is the major betting sport

Horse race betting is the leading sports betting discipline in Japan in terms of generated revenue. Horse racing, called keiba in Japan, is administered by two entities, namely the Japan Racing Association (JRA) and the National Association of Racing (NAR). Both are supervised by governmental or local authorities. The JRA is responsible for ten major venues in metropolitan areas, while the NAR is responsible for local venues. In horse racing, there is a multitude of betting options. The most popular betting types in terms of turnover are Trifecta and Trio.