The Hong Kong government published the Betting Duty (Amendment) Bill 2025 in the Gazette on 20 June 2025, and the bill is scheduled to be tabled in the Legislative Council for first reading on 2 July1. The bill amends the Betting Duty Ordinance (Cap. 108) and related subsidiary legislation to establish a regulatory framework for basketball betting1.
The main changes are three: empowering the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs to issue a basketball betting license and impose license conditions; applying the same duty calculation and collection method as football betting, charged at 50% of net stake receipts; and expanding the functions of the Betting and Lotteries Commission to cover basketball betting matters1. The government said it intends to issue a single basketball betting license to the Hong Kong Jockey Club, modeled on the existing horse racing and football betting arrangements, which it said avoids stimulating demand through competition between operators4.
The government cited Hong Kong Jockey Club data on illegal basketball betting. In 2023, around 100 000 to 150 000 Hong Kong bettors bet illegally on basketball, a 68% year-on-year increase, with estimated turnover of HK$32 billion to HK$34 billion4. In 2024, the number rose 186% to about 430 000 residents, with estimated illegal market turnover of HK$70 billion to HK$90 billion4. A public consultation held from 2 April to 2 May 2025 drew 1,063 written submissions, of which 999 (94.0%) supported the proposed regime, 36 (3.4%) opposed it and 28 (2.6%) did not state a clear position4.
The bill also covers a separate Jockey Club proposal on simulcast betting. The Executive Council on 17 June 2025 approved increasing the maximum number of non-local races simulcast on local race days from 25 to 40 for the 2025/26 season and to 55 from 2026/27, and increasing simulcast days from 37 to 53 for 2025/26 and to 70 from 2026/276. Local bets on simulcast races rose from HK$4,496 million in 2019/20 to HK$10,591 million in 2023/24, an increase of 135.6%6.
The government set out its position in the gazette announcement:
"政府一貫的政策是不鼓勵賭博。"
Planned license conditions include a fixed license period, restrictions on the number of bet types and classes of competitions, a ban on bets on matches involving Hong Kong teams or held in Hong Kong, a ban on bets from under-18s, and a ban on credit betting4.
What it means for players
Basketball betting in Hong Kong is not yet legal. The bill must pass through the Legislative Council before any licensed basketball market exists, and no start date for betting has been reported1. If it passes, the Jockey Club would be the sole licensed operator, and the conditions described would shape what can be bet on: no wagers on games involving Hong Kong teams or staged in Hong Kong, no bets from anyone under 18, and no credit betting4. The 50% duty on net stake receipts matches the current football rate1. For now, betting with illegal operators remains an offense, and the government said it will keep public education and counseling work, including a new center focused on young people, alongside the existing four funded centers1.
What happens next
The bill receives its first reading and the second reading debate begins on 2 July 20255. The resumption of the second reading debate, committee stage and third reading are listed as "to be advised"6. If passed, the government said it would issue a basketball betting license to the Jockey Club and set license conditions4.
Sources6 sources
- 《2025年博彩稅（修訂）條例草案》刊憲, info.gov.hk
- 《2025年博彩稅（修訂）條例草案》刊憲, info.gov.hk
- Legislative Council brief, hyab.gov.hk
- 民政及青年事務局局長在立法會民政及文化體育事務委員會會議開場發言全文（只有中文）, info.gov.hk
- 立法會：民政及青年事務局局長就《2025年博彩稅（修訂）條例草案》動議二讀發言全文（只有中文）, info.gov.hk
- 立法會參考資料摘要, hyab.gov.hk
