The Hong Kong Jockey Club has asked the government to raise the limits on how much non-local racing it can show and take bets on, under a proposal published by the Betting and Lotteries Commission on 20 January 2025.
Under the current license, the club may run no more than 88 local race days between 1 September and 31 August, simulcast 25 non-local races on local race days (simulcast races), and simulcast non-local races on 37 non-local race days (simulcast days). No more than 12 non-local races may be shown on any simulcast day1.
The club wants to change two caps in stages, starting from the 2025/26 season1:
| Cap | Now | From 2025/26 | From 2026/27 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simulcast races per season | 25 | 40 | 55 |
| Simulcast days per season | 37 | 53 | 70 |
The club argues the current quota is too small to cover top international races. It says 134 non-local races were rated among the world's top 100 Group 1 races between 2021 and 2023, but it could simulcast only 47, 51 and 64 of them in past seasons, and plans 71 in 2024/25, leaving 63 outside legal channels1.
It also points to illegal betting. It says the number of people taking part in illegal horse race gambling in 2023 rose 28 percent from 2021, with those betting on non-local races up about 43 percent. Average baseline traffic to illegal gambling sites rose 246 percent, and traffic tied to non-local races rose 329 percent on days when a top 100 Group 1 race was run and the club did not simulcast it1.
The club credits past quota increases with pulling demand back to legal channels. It says illegal site traffic fell about 41 percent in summer compared with before 2021 after 14 summer simulcast days were added, and fell a further 12 percent after January 2024, when the simulcast race quota rose from 10 to 25 and the per-day non-local race quota from nine to 12.
"馬會向政府建議把 (i) 每個馬季的同步聯播賽事的上限由 2025/26 馬季起，由目前的 25 場增加至 40 場"
It says simulcast races make up about 10 percent of total racing turnover, and that bettors aged 18 to 21 are under 1 percent of simulcast customers, with about 80 percent aged 40 or above1.
What it means for players
Simulcast betting is how Hong Kong residents, expats and visitors with a club account can bet on overseas races through the Hong Kong Jockey Club rather than through unlicensed operators. If the caps rise, more top overseas meetings would be available on the legal horse racing channel during the season, including races run on days when local racing is not held. The 12-race daily limit on simulcast days is not part of the proposal, so the number of races offered on any single simulcast day would stay the same. Nothing in the proposal changes the local race day cap of 88, the summer break on local betting from 17 July to 31 August, or the rules on who may open an account. The club says the change would not meaningfully increase the number of people gambling in Hong Kong, citing the age profile of simulcast customers1. How the gambling culture in Hong Kong and the wider rules on whether you can gamble in Hong Kong apply would be unchanged.
What happens next
It says it may publish submissions for the media and public unless the sender asks for them to be kept private1. No date has been reported for a government decision on the proposal.
Sources1 sources
- 香港賽馬會增加賽馬博彩活動的建議, hyab.gov.hk
