Penang Turf Club ceases operations

The Penang Turf Club ceased operations in 2025, according to the Malayan Racing Association (MRA), the body that describes itself as the governing body of horse racing in Malaysia¹. The same statement says the Singapore Turf Club ceased operations in 2024¹. The MRA published the position on its website and in its racing calendars, and the wording is identical across those pages¹.

The MRA frames the closures as a change in the number of clubs it governs rather than an end to the sport in Malaysia. It names two remaining associated clubs, the Perak Turf Club (PRTC) and the Selangor Turf Club (SLTC)¹.

The MRA also states its own role in the same passage¹:

The MRA pages still list Penang and Singapore among the affiliates shown on the site, and the racing calendar on those pages carries separate tabs for Singapore, Perak, Penang and Selangor¹. The MRA site also carries a news item dated 14 September 2026 headed "Circular" on statutory contributions for EPF, SOCSO and EIS, and a classification list dated 08 July 2025¹. No reason for the Penang closure, no date within 2025, and no details of what happens to the Penang racecourse or its land appear in these pages; those points have not been reported there.

What it means for players

For anyone who bets on Malaysian racing, the MRA's own account leaves two clubs running races under its rules, Perak and Selangor¹. Penang is no longer among them as of 2025¹. The MRA calendar pages still show a Penang tab alongside Singapore, Perak and Selangor, so a racegoer checking fixtures should treat the club status, not the tab, as the current position¹.

For visitors and expats in Malaysia, the practical effect described by the MRA is a smaller set of venues and meetings: the sport continues through PRTC and SLTC¹. For players in Singapore, the MRA places that club's closure a year earlier, in 2024¹. General background on betting in the country is set out in our guide to gambling in Malaysia, and the wider regional picture, including racecourses and pool betting, is covered in our horse racing in Asia guide.

What happens next

The MRA pages give no timetable beyond the years 2024 and 2025 for the two closures, and no announced next step for the Penang site, its fixtures or its licenses¹. The most recent dated items on those pages are a classification list of 08 July 2025 and a circular of 14 September 2026¹.