Hong Kong's Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Christopher Hui, told the Legislative Council on October 14, 2026 that authorities will combine financial surveillance, artificial intelligence tools, intelligence sharing and law enforcement against illegal online gambling and the money laundering tied to it1. He was replying to a question from legislator Nixie Lam1.
Hui said regulated entities including banks and stored value facility licensees supervised by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, and licensed corporations and licensed virtual asset trading platforms supervised by the Securities and Futures Commission, must maintain anti-money laundering and counter-financing of terrorism controls covering customer due diligence, transaction monitoring and suspicious transaction reporting1. Depending on risk, they may conduct stricter checks, verify client instructions, restrict or suspend transactions, or refuse to execute them, and must cooperate with law enforcement follow-up including restricting or suspending accounts and restraining or freezing assets1. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority has held industry sessions encouraging banks and stored value facility licensees to apply artificial intelligence in transaction monitoring, and the SFC published a report on Regtech adoption for anti-money laundering in November 20241.
Hui said the Fraud and Money Laundering Intelligence Taskforce, which includes the Hong Kong Police Force, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, banks and stored value facility licensees, has circulated multiple alerts on emerging threats and modus operandi regarding illegal gambling1. He flagged third-party "stooge accounts" used to handle betting funds, noting that selling or lending bank accounts for that purpose may itself be a money laundering offense under Section 25 of the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance1. Statistics on arrests, prosecutions and convictions for money laundering involving stooge accounts over the past three years were set out in an annex to the reply1.
On penalties, Hui said:
"participating in illegal gambling (such as betting with an illegal bookmaker) is an offense under the Gambling Ordinance, regardless of whether it takes place online or offline"
| Offence | Maximum penalty |
|---|---|
| Participating in illegal gambling | HK$50,000 fine and nine months' imprisonment1 |
| Knowingly promoting or facilitating bookmaking or betting with a bookmaker | HK$5 million fine and seven years' imprisonment1 |
Hui said the Government does not encourage gambling and applies a multi-pronged strategy of enforcement, public education, counseling and legislation1. The Ping Wo Fund, established by the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau in 2003, has given priority to funding online gambling prevention initiatives since 20201. He said the Government will keep raising awareness, particularly among young people, of gambling addiction harms and the legal consequences of illegal gambling1.
What it means for players
Betting with an unlicensed bookmaker is an offense in Hong Kong whether it happens online or offline, and the reply restates a maximum penalty of a HK$50,000 fine and nine months in prison for the person placing the bet1. The rules on illegal betting in Hong Kong therefore apply to a bet placed by phone as much as to one placed in person. The reply also states that promoting or facilitating bookmaking carries a maximum HK$5 million fine and seven years in prison, a category that can cover people who help move or recruit for such operations1.
The financial side is where the plan bites hardest. Banks, stored value facility licensees, licensed corporations and licensed virtual asset trading platforms must monitor transactions and report suspicious ones to the Joint Financial Intelligence Unit, and can restrict, suspend or freeze accounts flagged by law enforcement1. That means payments to or from an unlicensed operator can draw scrutiny of the account used, and lending or selling an account for betting funds may itself be treated as money laundering1. Players in Hong Kong can read the general position in Can I Gamble in Hong Kong? and Can I Play at Online Casinos in Hong Kong?, and the wider regional picture in Online Gambling in Asia.
What happens next
The reply sets out no new legislation and no timetable. Hui said the Government does not encourage gambling and will continue enforcement, education and counseling through existing bodies1. He did not commit to statutory duties for online platforms to screen, remove or report illegal betting content, or to a penalty mechanism for platforms, which the question had raised1. The reply says the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and the SFC will continue engaging the industry on responsible use of artificial intelligence and Regtech1.
