Hong Kong Gambling Laws
Hong Kong / Law and Crime Hong Kong police arrest 81 in crackdown on string of triad-run gambling dens The gambling dens offered patrons free low-quality crystal meth, and helped them to buy other. It was in 1977 under the Gambling Ordinance that gambling was first legalised and regulated in Hong Kong. That piece of legislation determined that gambling was only legal in certain licensed gambling establishments and established a monopoly over lotteries, horse racing betting and other sports betting for the Hong Kong Jockey Club. The minimum age for gambling in the country was raised to 18 years in 2011 from 15 in the previous years in a bid to discourage gambling among children. The national lottery company in Finland is a property of the government and is managed by the Ministry of Education with the revenue from the company channeled to education, culture, and arts. China is imposing a curfew on online gaming for minors, the government has announced. Gamers under 18 will be banned from playing online between 22:00 and 08:00. HONG KONG - Plans to toughen laws against online gambling appear to be on a collision course with consumer tastes, with a survey showing that 41% of the city's Internet users visited betting Web.
Hong Kong Gambling Laws
The Gambling Ordinance was enacted in 1977 to regulate gambling in Hong Kong.[1] People are allowed gamble for leisure and entertainment within these regulations at a limited number of authorized outlets. Social gambling is still allowed.
Legality[edit]
The government of Hong Kong restricts organized gambling to a few regulated outlets. The government enacted the Gambling Ordinance in 1977 to rein in excessive gambling while still providing gambling to the populace.[2] Gambling involving a bookmaker is illegal in Hong Kong.[2] Betting with a bookmaker and betting in a place other than a gambling establishment is illegal. The Hong Kong Jockey Club holds a government-granted monopoly on horse races, football matches, and lotteries. The revenue the club generates from various wagers makes it the largest taxpayer for the government.[3]
Hong Kong generates the largest horse race gambling turnover in the world. The Hong Kong Jockey Club founded in 1884, holds a monopoly on horse racing wagers, lotteries and football betting and is the largest taxpayer to the government.[3] In 2009, Hong Kong generated an average US$12.7 million in gambling turnover per race 6 times larger than its closest rival France at US$2 million while the United States only generated $250,000.[4]
During the 2014-2015 racing season the Hong Kong Jockey Club attracted about HK$138.8 million (US$17.86 million) per race more that any other track in the world. Hong Kong Jockey Club broke its own record during the 2016-2017 season with a turnover of HK$216.5 billion and paid the government HK$21.7 billion in duty and profits tax, an all-time high.[5]
Charities[edit]
Hong Kong has charities which have a goal to promoting responsible gambling practices among those who gamble and to minimizing the negative effects of problem gambling. Such charities also look for a balance between meeting the demand for gambling and maximizing the social and economic benefits of gambling for the community, while helping to minimize potential harm to individuals and the community.[2]
Recent events[edit]
During the 2010 World Cup, police arrested 25 people for having an illegal gambling ring that took bets on World Cup matches worth more than 66 million Hong Kong dollars. Earlier in the year the Hong Kong police set up a task force to help stop illegal football gambling.[6]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Deans, R. (2001). Online gambling: changes to Hong Kong's gambling legislation. Gaming Law Review., 5(6), Retrieved from http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/109218801753336166?journalCode=glrdoi:10.1089/109218801753336166
- ^ abc'Responsible gambling policy'. Hong Kong Jockey Club. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
- ^ abBalfour, Fredrick (22 February 2016). 'Hong Kong Horse Racing Is Serious Business'. Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
- ^'Hong Kong's hardcore gamblers'. CNNMoney. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
- ^Mok, Danny (1 September 2017). 'Hong Kong Jockey Club has record-breaking year'. South China Morning Post. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
- ^Hong Kong police smash illegal world cup betting ring. (2010, June 13). Asia Pacific News, Retrieved from http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/1062884/1/.html
External links[edit]
- The Study on Hong Kong People's Participation in Gambling Activities, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, March 2012
- Tse, Samson; Yu, Alex C.H.; Rossen, Fiona; Wang, Chong-Wen (2010). 'Examination of Chinese Gambling Problems through a Socio-Historical-Cultural Perspective'. The Scientific World Journal. 10: 1694–1704. doi:10.1100/tsw.2010.167. ISSN1537-744X. OCLC48386834. PMC5763971. PMID20842314.
The Hong Kong Government Policy is to restrict gambling, other than social gambling, to a limited number of controlled authorised outlets. In this way, while the public demand for gambling is met, regulation ensures that gambling opportunities are not excessive and possible harm to the community is minimized. According to the Gambling Ordinance (Cap. 148), all gambling activities are illegal except those authorised by the Government which includes authorised horse racing, football betting and Mark Six lottery, and betting premises licenced by the Government or those exempted under the Ordinance.
The illegal gambling market is sizeable and growing exponentially. During the World Cup 2014, the Hong Kong Police Force mounted vigorous operations in the territory against illegal gambling activities, resulting in seizure of cash and betting slips amounting to more than HK$750 million, a record high.
Hong Kong Gambling Laws Regulations
Increasing junket activities and illegal web betting
Illegal gambling operators and their agents (or junkets) have becoming increasingly aggressive and active in Hong Kong. Junkets not only offer incentives and loans for gamblers, but also provide ferry tickets and hotel accommodations for their customers to gamble at offshore casinos or casino cruises. Offshore operators are also increasingly deploying loyalty programmes to recruit new and young customers which poses a serious threat to Hong Kong.
Profit-oriented illegal bookmakers lure customers with credit betting, better price incentives, and more bet types, irrespective of their age and financial status. By offering discounts and loans, they encourage customers to chase losses, resulting in heavy gambling debts. Round the clock gambling opportunities provided by illegal operators often lead customers to bet instantly and continuously, making them more prone to excessive gambling.
Fuelled by the advancement of mobile technology and widespread use of smartphones and tablet computers, illegal gambling platforms are more readily available to the public in recent years. A study tracking web traffic found that at least 230,000 local residents patronise illegal gambling websites each month. The betting loss incurred each year is estimated at HK$12 billion, which is equivalent to 60% of the Government’s Community Care Fund. Should the money be ploughed back to society, Hong Kong people can benefit enormously from the provision of 17,000 additional public housing units, 100 secondary schools and close to 300 elderly homes.
The amount of wagers Hong Kong people placed with illegal bookmakers tops hundreds of billions of dollars each year, which is double the HK$150 billion recorded by the authorised betting channels. This growing trend also aggravates the numerous social and criminal problems and activities it brings to the community.
Illegal gambling in Hong Kong:
Illegal gambling is widely associated with criminal activities, in particular loan-sharking, money laundering, fraud and corruption.
Equally if not more damaging is the siphoning of public resources from the community. Illegal gambling operations neither pay tax in Hong Kong, nor make any contribution to Hong Kong charities.
Can You Gamble In Hong Kong
In contrast, the Club is committed to providing regulated legal betting services to help the Government in combating illegal gambling in accordance with the Government’s Policy to restrict gambling to a limited number of controlled authorised outlets. Being a pioneer in responsible gambling practices, the Club implements a wide range of measures to encourage those who gamble to do so responsibly and to prevent underage gambling. It endeavours to strike a balance between meeting the demand for gambling while helping to minimise potential harm caused by gambling.