Jockey Club granted free use of racecourse for one more year

Macau's government will allow the Macau Jockey Club to keep using the existing racecourse facilities free of charge for one more year, until March next year, after the two sides agreed to end the club's concession contract. The arrangement is set out in the termination documents signed by both parties, the newspaper Cheng Pou reported on January 16, 2024¹.

Under those documents, the club has committed to handling the labor rights of affected staff in accordance with the law and to moving its existing horses out of Macau before March 31 next year, which the report gives as 2025¹. Secretary for Administration and Justice Cheong Weng Chon said there would be penalties if these commitments are breached¹. The club does not have to pay the government any compensation or damages for ending the contract¹.

The Labor Affairs Bureau director, Wong Chi Hong, said the club currently has 570 employees: 254 local workers and 316 foreign workers¹. The company has committed to paying severance in line with the law, and the bureau will work with it to brief staff in groups on their labor rights¹. The club's shareholders have also indicated a willingness to take on local employees, and job referral services will be provided¹.

The Municipal Affairs Bureau's Ng Sau Hong said the club keeps 289 horses, including retired horses and teaching horses¹. The bureau has carried out routine inspections with the club covering stable hygiene and horse health, and will continue inspecting after the contract ends to check the horses are properly cared for¹. The club has previously sent retired horses to mainland China, and intends to move its current horses there for equestrian use or for equestrian clubs¹. The government has discussed health and quarantine requirements for horse imports with the mainland, and would assist if the horses were sent elsewhere instead, with transfers arranged in stages¹.

The free use of the facilities covers the loan only; the club must bear its own operating costs¹.

What it means for players

The racecourse facilities stay in the club's hands for another year, but the contract that governed racing there has ended. The sources do not report any resumption of racing, and no race dates beyond the termination are given¹. For anyone who bet on Macau racing, the practical position is that the venue is being kept open to move horses out, not to run meetings, and the club's 289 horses are due to leave Macau before March 31 next year¹. Details of what happens to outstanding bets, accounts or any remaining pools are not reported in the sources¹. Readers looking at Macau's betting market more broadly can check Can I Gamble in Macau? and Toto Macau and New Macau Mark Six: Are They Official?, and for the wider regional picture, Horse Racing and Betting in Asia.

What happens next

The club must move its horses out of Macau before March 31 next year, and faces penalties if it fails to meet the commitments in the termination documents¹. Staff are to be briefed in groups on their labor rights, with severance paid under the law and job referrals offered¹. Inspections of the horses' welfare will continue after the contract ends¹. The government has discussed quarantine requirements for horse imports with the mainland, and transfers would be arranged in stages¹.