Over the past year the Seoul racecourse in Kwacheon, just south of the city has attracted over 12 million visitors, while betting turnover on the races topped 4.6 trillion won. Not bad for a nation that only holds races on Saturdays and Sundays.
The racecourse itself is only a short walk from the Seoul Racecourse subway line stop (on line 4) and the entry fee is a paltry 800 won.
On most Saturdays and Sundays of the year, the sport’s ruling body, the Korean Racing Association, puts on between eleven and twelve flat races ranging in distance from 1000 to 2300 meters. Both stakes and plate races )for foreign bred and locally bred horses) are held and betting on the races can take place either at the track or in off-course betting houses.
Betting on the races takes the form of the following:
Win: Bets are paid out on the winning horse Place: Bets are paid out on the first two places on races with five to seven runners; or on any of the first three places on races with eight or more runners. Quinella: Bets are paid out on the first placed pair, in any order. Exacta: Bets are paid out on the first placed pair in exact place order. (bets on nominated races only)
The pay out on win and on place bets is 80% of the pool and for quinella and exacta bets %72 of those pools.
In addition to betting on these races the KRA also holds pools on a few races from the Cheju racetrack. The time between events can stretch out to 45-minutes with 30-minutes being more in order.
The long time between races may not appeal to all tastes, especially to Aussies like myself who are more accustomed to 5 minute breaks between betting locations. However, this time can be valuably spent by wading through the form guide and by carefully planning the next betting plunge. If all that fails you can just relax in the armchair and sip away.
In order to have a bet all you have to do is fill out the betting slip and present it at the operator window with your money. The minimum bet is 100 won and the maximum bet 100,000 won.
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