Hong Kong's Financial Secretary announced in the 2025-26 Budget Speech that the Government will explore regulating basketball betting activities and invite The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) to submit a proposal1. The Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB) reviewed the club's proposal and is proposing a regulatory regime for basketball betting modeled on the existing football betting regime, which would require amendments to the Betting Duty Ordinance (Cap. 108)1. The consultation paper was published in April 2025, with a submission deadline of 2 May 20251.
The bureau's case rests on the growth of illegal basketball betting. According to HKJC data cited in the paper, around 100 000 to 150 000 Hong Kong bettors bet illegally on basketball in 2023, a 68% year-on-year increase, with estimated annual illegal betting turnover of $32 billion to $34 billion1. In 2024, the number of people betting illegally on basketball jumped 186%, to about 430 000 Hong Kong residents, with estimated market turnover of $70 billion to $90 billion, up 119% to 165% year on year2. The paper also cites an Oxford Economics study finding that 49% of illegal bettors would switch to betting through HKJC if it offered legal basketball betting2.
The proposed regime would follow the football betting model. Under the BDO, the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs may license a company to conduct horse race betting, football betting and/or lotteries, and HKJC has all along been the only licensed operator1. If basketball betting is approved, a license would be issued to HKJC2. License conditions would include a ban on accepting bets from minors and a ban on credit card betting2. The operator would also be barred from offering betting on any basketball event involving a Hong Kong team, wherever held, or any basketball event held in Hong Kong, without prior approval from the Secretary2.
The paper points to football betting as evidence that regulation works. Since football betting was legalized in 2003, HKJC has diverted back to the legal channel over $1,581 billion of turnover and generated over $116 billion in betting duty1. On horse racing, approval in 2021 raised the maximum number of simulcast days per year from 23 to 37 and allowed them during the summer break from 17 July to 31 August; traffic to illegal sites in summer 2024 fell 41% compared with summer 20201. The paper says the proportion of bettors aged 18 to 21 has stayed below 2% over the past five years1.
"In 2003, the Government regulated football betting through enactment of the Betting Duty (Amendment) Ordinance 2003 and licensed HKJC as the operator of football betting"
Enforcement figures accompany the proposal. Between 2024 and February 2025, intelligence-led operations dismantled six major local gambling syndicates, leading to 107 arrests and the seizure of around $2 billion worth of betting records related to illicit sports wagering and online casino games1.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Illegal basketball bettors, 2023 | 100 000 to 150 000, up 68% year on year1 |
| Illegal basketball bettors, 2024 | About 430 000, up 186%2 |
| Estimated illegal basketball turnover, 2023 | $32 billion to $34 billion1 |
| Estimated illegal basketball turnover, 2024 | $700 billion to $900 billion, up 119% to 165%2 |
| Football betting turnover diverted to legal channel since 2003 | Over $1,581 billion1 |
| Betting duty generated since 2003 | Over $116 billion1 |
What it means for players
Basketball betting is not currently a legal product in Hong Kong. The consultation paper proposes adding it to the outlets already run by HKJC, alongside horse racing, football betting and Mark Six1. If the regime is enacted, betting on basketball would run through the same licensed operator as football, under conditions that bar minors and credit card deposits2. Betting on games involving Hong Kong teams, or staged in Hong Kong, would require specific government approval before being offered2. Until any change takes effect, the legal position is unchanged, and the paper notes that most illegal sports betting now takes place online2. For background on what is legal in the territory, see Can I Gamble in Hong Kong? and How to Open a Jockey Club Betting Account. For how the market is regulated across the region, see Gambling Laws in Asia: What Is Legal in 12 Jurisdictions and Recent and Pending Gambling Law Changes in Asia. For the mechanics of the product itself, see Basketball Betting Explained: Point Spreads, Totals and Quarter Bets and Sports Betting in Asia: How It Works, Bet Types, Odds and Where It Is Legal in 12 Jurisdictions.
What happens next
The consultation closed on 2 May 20251. The paper states that, depending on the consultation outcome, if the proposed regime is implemented the Government will work with HKJC, the Hong Kong Police Force, the Ping Wo Fund Advisory Committee and other stakeholders on implementation2. It adds that HKJC would be asked to increase its donations to the Ping Wo Fund and strengthen measures under its responsible gambling policy, with emphasis on youth education2. No date has been reported for a decision or for any legislative amendment.
Sources2 sources
- Regulatory Regime on Basketball Betting Consultation Document, hyab.gov.hk
- 籃球博彩規管制度諮詢文件, hyab.gov.hk
