Hong Kong's Legislative Council passed the Betting Duty (Amendment) Bill 2023 on 21 June 2023, introducing an additional football betting duty of HK$2.4 billion a year on the city's football betting operator1. The bill is deemed to have taken effect from 1 April 20231.
The extra duty runs from the 2023-24 financial year to 2027-28, a period of five years, and is expected to bring the government a total of HK$12 billion in additional football betting duty1. Existing betting duty rates are unchanged1. The charge falls on the football betting conductor, whose parent entity is the Hong Kong Jockey Club1. Under the Betting Duty Ordinance, football betting duty is charged at 50 percent of net stake receipts, with the special duty added on top until March 20282.
The government said it had weighed several factors before proposing the levy. The Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Christopher Hui, said:
"該項建議將在五年內為政府帶來共120億元的額外足球博彩稅稅款，有助於短期內增加政府收入。在建議徵收額外足球博彩稅時，我們已考慮多項因素，包括現有足球投注舉辦商的母實體，即香港賽馬會的承擔能力，以及本港足球博彩業面對的外部競爭等。香港賽馬會亦已承諾不會減少對本地慈善事業的承擔。"
The bill sets out the tax amount, payment dates and related administrative arrangements1. The Jockey Club has committed not to reduce its contribution to local charities1.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Additional football betting duty | HK$2.4 billion a year1 |
| Period | 2023-24 to 2027-28, five years1 |
| Total additional duty | HK$12 billion1 |
| Deemed effective from | 1 April 20231 |
| Existing duty rates | Unchanged1 |
What it means for players
The duty is charged on the operator, not on individual bettors, and the government said existing betting duty rates are unchanged1. Nothing in the announcement changes the price of a bet, the available bet types or the payout terms for people betting through the Jockey Club, and no change to player-facing terms was reported1. Football betting in Hong Kong remains available only through the licensed operator, HKJC Football Betting Limited, under a license renewed for five years from 18 July 20252. Betting with an unlicensed bookmaker is an offense for the player, and taking bets placed from Hong Kong offshore carries penalties of up to HK$5 million and seven years2. The minimum age for betting is 182.
What happens next
The special football betting duty covers dutiable periods only up to the one ending 31 March 2028, and no extension has been enacted2. The government has not reported any further step tied to this bill. Separately, the Betting Duty (Amendment) Ordinance 2025 added basketball betting under an exclusive license taxed at 50 percent of net stake receipts, but no license has been issued and the government halted the rollout on 14 April 2026, citing the growth of prediction markets2.
For background on how operator taxes reach players, see Betting Duty, GST and Casino Tax: How Operator Taxes Reach Players. For the local market, see Can I Bet on Sports in Hong Kong? and Jockey Club Football Bet Types and Odds Explained.
Sources2 sources
- 政府歡迎立法會通過《2023年博彩稅（修訂）條例草案》, info.gov.hk
- Hong Kong Gambling Licence and Regulation (2026), igaming-times.com
