Hong Kong basketball gambling gains support from 77 councillors

Hong Kong might be gearing up to change its sports gambling restrictions, as officials have endorsed a bill that could put basketball betting on the table. The Legislative Council of Hong Kong, or LegCo, gave the thumbs up as it wrestles with illegal gambling.

This move would put the Jockey Club as Hong Kong’s basketball sportsbook operator. Those who gamble through it will have a 50 percent duty charged on net stake receipts. Hong Kong’s football betting follows a similar structure.

Illegal gambling has risen in the wider Asia territory, with not only Hong Kong afflicted by it. As countries in the region typically have strict anti-gambling laws, more gamblers are turning to the ever-increasing ease of offshore operators. Some of these, like PH Love, have faked being accredited by other countries’ watchdogs.

Meanwhile, Japan and Korea, have seen a rise in high-profile gambling controversies or citizens going overboard. As the culture is quite strict, it has resulted in celebrities’ careers being affected once caught. A lot of cases involve offshore gambling to get around restrictions.

Illegal basketball gambling brings in HK$70 billion a year

Back in April, Hong Kong’s illegal gambling problem had racked up over HK$70 billion ($9.3 billion), with some putting estimates as high as HK$90 billion ($11.6 billion) on basketball alone last year.

At the time, the CEO of the Jockey Club, Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, said:

“The proposal is with them, and we have to see how they want to progress it. It will be interesting.

“Now, they lead, and we can only follow because it’s a policy decision. They asked us to give them a proposal, and we did.

“It is good that it has been recognised that there is obviously a significant illegal gambling problem.”

Hong Kong councillors weigh in on the vote

Now, the council might actually let the vote through. So far, 77 different legislators have supported the bill, while two voted against and two abstained.

Speaking to RTHK, a Hong Kong-based outlet, Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak said:

“And for public education on how to publicise the bad influence and effects of illegal betting and irresponsible gambling, we will launch a series of new measures, including public education and publicity measures focused on teenagers.”

An education sector representative, Chu Kwok-Keung, voted against the bill. He said:

“Over the past 20 years, we have seen a steady increase in the number of gamblers after football betting was legalised, with signs of such activities skewing towards the younger generations.

“Allowing basketball betting would simply offer another option of gambling.”

Featured image: Wikicommons, Pexels

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