Basketball Betting in Hong Kong

Where basketball betting stands today

Basketball is about to become the newest legal betting product in Hong Kong, but it is not on sale yet. The government has put forward a regulated framework for basketball betting through the Betting Tax (Amendment) Bill 2025, describing it as providing a properly regulated channel for an activity that already happens underground¹. As of now, the government has not issued a license to operate basketball betting, so there is no legal basketball bet you can place in Hong Kong at this moment⁶.

This is a significant change for a city where the legal gambling menu has been short for decades. Basketball would be the first major addition to that list since football betting was legalized in the early 2000s.

Everything outside this list is illegal⁷.

The timing matters for anyone hoping to bet on the NBA or other leagues. The framework exists on paper, the operator is chosen, and the license conditions are drafted, but the actual launch, with odds, bet types and channels, has not happened. Watch for the Jockey Club announcing basketball markets before assuming you can walk into a branch and bet on tonight's game.

Who will run it

The Hong Kong Jockey Club will be the sole operator of basketball betting. The government plans to follow the football betting model, under which the Club holds an exclusive license, rather than opening the market to competing bookmakers⁸. When the bill was moving through the legislature, officials confirmed the plan to use the Jockey Club as the single operator, with license conditions attached⁹.

This is the same arrangement that governs horse racing in Hong Kong and football betting in Hong Kong. The Club runs off-course betting branches across the city, a telephone betting service, and an online and mobile account platform, so basketball betting would sit alongside those existing channels rather than requiring new infrastructure.

For bettors, a single operator means one set of odds, one set of rules, and one place to complain. It also means no shopping around for prices, which is the trade-off Hong Kong accepted when it legalized football betting to channel money away from illegal bookmakers.

How betting is likely to work

The government has said the basketball betting license will follow the model of current horse racing and football betting, with related license conditions drawn up for the new product². Based on that model, here is what you can expect.

Channels. Football betting licenses allow bets through the following channels¹⁰:

• Betting outlets
• Telephone
• Online media including the Internet
• Other telecommunication or electronic means

Basketball betting would likely use the same channels: the branch network, the phone line, and the Jockey Club's online and mobile account system.

Payments. The Club only provides cash betting and account-based betting, with no credit facilities and no credit card betting allowed¹¹. That rule is written into the basketball license conditions as well³. So you would fund bets with cash at a branch, or through a pre-funded account online.

Bet limits. The operator can restrict the number or value of bets, and decline or exclude any part of a bet, without giving a reason. This is standard in the Club's existing rules for both pari-mutuel and fixed odds bets¹². Expect the same discretion for basketball, especially on less liquid leagues.

Odds format. Jockey Club sports betting uses Hong Kong odds, a decimal-style format where a HK$1 stake returns the stated profit plus the stake. You can read more in our guide to Hong Kong odds.

License conditions: age limits and no credit card bets

Two license conditions are already fixed for basketball betting, and both match the rules for the Club's existing products.

First, the operator must not accept bets from anyone under 18³. This is the same minimum age that applies to all legal gambling in Hong Kong: no person under 18 is allowed to bet or even enter premises where bets are accepted¹³. The age rule appears throughout the Club's football and horse racing rules, which also bar anyone in school uniform from betting, collecting winnings or entering a betting location¹⁴. The consultation paper on the basketball regime spells out the same package: no bets from minors, no credit card betting, warning notices required, and promotions that must not target minors¹⁵.

Second, no credit card betting. The license conditions state the Club must not accept credit card bets³, and the Club's own responsible gambling guidance confirms it offers no credit facilities at all¹¹. This mirrors a condition written into the original football betting license, which barred the licensee from offering credit for betting or accepting credit cards for settling betting transactions¹⁰.

In practice this means budgeting before you bet: cash in hand at a branch, or money already deposited in an account. You cannot fund a bet on borrowed money through the licensed channel.

Restricted events: no bets on Hong Kong teams or local games

The basketball license comes with a notable restriction on what you can bet on. The licensee must not accept bets on basketball matches involving Hong Kong teams, wherever those matches take place, or on basketball events held in Hong Kong¹⁶. The same restriction appears in the license conditions drafted for the bill: no bets on events involving Hong Kong teams or basketball events held in Hong Kong⁴.

There is one exception. The consultation paper allows for prior approval from the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs to lift the restriction for specific events¹⁵. So a major tournament hosted in Hong Kong, or a Hong Kong team's high-profile match, could in theory be approved for betting, but only case by case.

The practical effect: the product is aimed at overseas basketball, above all the NBA and international leagues. Local leagues and the Hong Kong national team are off the board by default. The reasoning is familiar from football betting, where similar integrity concerns shaped what is offered.

What the new rules do not cover

The basketball framework adds one product to a short list of legal gambling. It does not open the door to anything else. Outside regulated horse racing, football betting, the Mark Six lottery, licensed mahjong parlors and exempted social gambling, all gambling activity in Hong Kong remains illegal⁷.

That means the new regime does not legalize esports betting, online casinos, poker rooms or any other sports beyond basketball. There is no legal esports betting in Hong Kong; all esports gambling is underground and illegal¹⁷. Online casinos are not licensed or exempted, so betting with them is illegal too⁵.

It also does not change where account betting can be used. The Club's internet betting facilities are intended to be connected to and used only within Hong Kong, and account holders must comply with that condition. A Jockey Club betting account is not a license to bet from anywhere in the world.

Who can play: residents and visitors

The age and payment rules above apply to everyone who bets through the licensed channel, whether they are Hong Kong residents, foreign residents or visitors. There is no residency requirement for betting at a branch: anyone who meets the age limit can walk in and place a cash bet, just as tourists do with football betting today. You can read more in our guide to gambling in Hong Kong as a visitor.

Online account betting is different. The internet facilities are confined to use within Hong Kong, so the account platform works while you are in the city. The rules do not distinguish citizens from foreigners for betting itself; the distinction that matters is age and location.

For residents, the same rules apply whether you hold a Hong Kong ID card or not. The legal gambling age of 18, set across all licensed products, is the only entry threshold¹³.

Betting with offshore sites

Until basketball betting launches, and even after it does, the only legal way to bet on anything in Hong Kong is through the Jockey Club. Betting with anyone else is a crime, and that includes the offshore sportsbooks that advertise to Hong Kong customers.

The Gambling Ordinance makes it illegal to bet with an illegal bookmaker, whether the bet is taken inside or outside Hong Kong. Overseas registration makes no difference: gambling websites registered abroad are not licensed or exempted in Hong Kong, so betting with them is illegal⁵. The same applies to online casinos and esports platforms⁵.

So a Hong Kong resident betting on the NBA with an offshore site today is not in a gray area. It is illegal, with a real penalty attached. Our page on offshore gambling sites accepting Hong Kong players explains the landscape in more detail.

What you can bet on today

While basketball waits for its license, the legal betting menu in Hong Kong is horse racing, football betting and the Mark Six lottery, all through the Jockey Club⁷.

Football betting covers leagues and tournaments worldwide, with bets placed at branches, by phone or online. Our HKJC football betting guide walks through the products and how to play.

Horse racing runs most of the year at Happy Valley and Sha Tin, with off-course branches open daily for simulcast and overseas racing. See horse racing in Hong Kong and horse racing bet types in Hong Kong.

Mark Six is the lottery drawn normally three times a week, on Tuesday, Thursday and either Saturday or Sunday¹⁹, covered in our Mark Six lottery guide.

For the broader picture, including mahjong, poker and social gambling exemptions, see gambling in Hong Kong.

First-timer questions

When can I actually bet on basketball? There is no launch date yet. The framework is law-ready, the operator is designated, but the license has not been issued⁶. The Jockey Club will announce basketball markets when the product goes live.

Will NBA games be offered? The restriction only bars Hong Kong teams and events held in Hong Kong¹⁶, which points the product squarely at overseas leagues. The NBA is the most obvious candidate, but the actual list of leagues and bet types will be set by the operator at launch.

Can I bet on my phone? Almost certainly, once launched. Football betting already runs through telephone and online channels¹⁰, and basketball is expected to use the same infrastructure.

How do I fund a bet? Cash at a branch, or a pre-funded account. No credit cards and no credit³.

What if I'm under the age limit? You cannot bet, and you cannot even enter a betting branch¹³.

Where can I get help with gambling? The Jockey Club and the government both run responsible gambling programs, with information on setting bet limits and self-exclusion¹¹. Our page on gambling help in Hong Kong lists the resources.