Hong Kong's Executive Council, at its meeting on 24 October 2023, advised the Chief Executive to direct that the Hong Kong Jockey Club's proposal be adopted: to raise the annual cap on simulcast races by 15, from 10 to 25, and to raise the cap on overseas races per simulcast day from 9 to 121. The change took effect from 20231.
The same paper records an earlier decision.
Under the license in force at the time of the paper, valid from September 2024 to August 2025, the Jockey Club may1:
- hold no more than 88 local race days per racing season
- simulcast 25 races on local race days
- hold 37 simulcast days with no more than 12 overseas races per day
Betting on all local races may not take place during the summer break1. The paper states these racing limits took effect from December 20231.
The paper gives betting figures for simulcast races. It also cites Jockey Club data on illegal gambling site traffic: a cumulative fall of about 41% since 14 simulcast days were added each season from the 2020/21 racing season, and an average fall of about 12% since 15 simulcast races and the higher per-day overseas race cap were added from the 2023/24 racing season1.
The paper sets out the government's reasoning on the later, larger proposal, which would raise the caps again from the 2025/26 season. It says the government considered rejecting the Jockey Club's proposal but decided not to object, because otherwise demand from local racing fans to bet on overseas races would not be met and might move to illegal channels1.
"在二零二三年十月二十四日的會議上，行政會議建議，行政長官指令應採納馬會的建議，將每年同步聯播賽事的數目上限增加15場"
Of the 250 written comments the government received, 237 (94.8%) backed the Jockey Club's proposal, four (1.6%) opposed or partly opposed it, and nine (3.6%) raised no objection1.
What it means for players
The 2023 decision widened what Hong Kong's licensed operator may offer on overseas racing. More simulcast races each year, and more overseas races on each simulcast day, mean more foreign meetings available through the Jockey Club's legal channels rather than through unlicensed sites. The paper links the earlier expansions to falls in traffic to illegal gambling websites, though it presents this as the Jockey Club's own measurement1.
The caps apply to the Jockey Club's license, not to individual bettors. Local race days remain capped at 88 per season, and betting on local races is still barred during the summer break1. The paper does not state which overseas meetings are simulcast, what bet types are offered on them, or how turnover is split between local and commingled pools.
What happens next
The paper describes a further round of increases, not yet in force at the time of writing. To bring this into effect from the 2025/26 season, the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs must vary the conditions of the license to be issued for that season under section 6ZD of the Ordinance1.
That is a distinct matter from the simulcast caps.
For background on how the territory's betting market is structured, see Betting on Horse Racing in Hong Kong and How Hong Kong Gambles: Racing, Mahjong and Mark Six. For how overseas races are pooled across jurisdictions, see Commingled Pools and Simulcast Betting.
Sources1 sources
- 立法會參考資料摘要, hyab.gov.hk
