The Hong Kong Jockey Club

Legal status: the government's sole authorized operator

The Hong Kong Jockey Club is the only body authorized by the government to operate in the lottery, football and horse betting markets⁵. It is the sole operator authorized to provide horse racing and football betting entertainment in Hong Kong, and it administers the Mark Six lottery on behalf of the government².

Hong Kong's gambling policy confines gambling to a small number of regulated channels. Those channels are horse racing, football betting and the Mark Six lottery run by the Jockey Club, plus betting activities approved by a public officer appointed by the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, such as mahjong parlors⁶. The Club has limited its betting services to horse racing, the Mark Six lottery and football in line with its licensing conditions².

Playing on offshore casino websites is illegal in Hong Kong, and the only legal betting channels are the ones above. If you want the wider picture of what is and is not allowed in the city, see Can I Gamble in Hong Kong?.

The Club's licenses for horse race betting, football betting and the Mark Six Lottery carry conditions. These include that the Club must not accept bets from juveniles and must not accept credit betting⁷. The government has also set out plans to use the Jockey Club as the sole operator of basketball betting, following the football betting model, if the relevant Bill is passed. That is a plan, not an open product, so you cannot bet on basketball through the Club yet⁸.

What you can bet on: horse racing, football and the Mark Six lottery

Three products are on offer, and nothing else.

Horse racing. The Club offers pari-mutuel and fixed odds betting on races¹. This covers local racing at Sha Tin and Happy Valley, and simulcast overseas races. If you are new to the pools and bet types, the HKJC horse race betting guide walks through the channels and the basics.

Football. The Club operates pari-mutuel and fixed odds betting on selected overseas football matches¹. HKJC Football is the only legalized football betting channel in Hong Kong³. Bet types include Correct Score and in-play betting, and the football bet types guide explains how the odds work.

Mark Six lottery. The Club operates the Mark Six Lottery³. It is the government's lottery, run by the Club on the government's behalf, and the Mark Six guide covers how to play and what you can win.

The Club's betting info also lists Flexi Bet alongside Racing, Football and Mark Six⁹. Flexi Bet lets you spread a stake across combinations rather than buying full units, which matters for the rounding rules below.

Odds and payouts: pari-mutuel racing, fixed-odds football

Racing runs on two systems. Pari-mutuel pools share the pool among winning tickets, while fixed odds bets pay at the price you took¹. Football works the same way, with pari-mutuel and fixed odds options on selected overseas matches¹.

All bets must be made and settled in Hong Kong currency¹⁰. That applies across the rules, so you do not need to think about exchange rates when you place a bet.

Payout rounding follows clear rules.

For local races, the finishing order declared when the Weighed in Signal is displayed is final for dividend calculation¹⁰. For simulcast overseas races, the Club pays out according to the race results provided by the corresponding racing authority¹³.

On winning combinations, "F" denotes Any Combination and "M" denotes Any Order¹³. You will see these letters next to dividend information where more than one combination or order can win.

The Club can also restrict the number or value of a bet, and decline or exclude the whole or any part of a bet, without giving a reason¹⁰. That is a standard term rather than something you need to plan around, but it explains why a very large bet may not be accepted in full.

Where and how to bet: racecourses, branches, phone and online

You have several channels, and they all lead to the same pools.

Racecourses. Local racing takes place at Sha Tin and Happy Valley. Both have on-course betting, and both are covered in their own guides: Happy Valley Racecourse and Sha Tin Racecourse.

Off-Course Betting Branches. Besides the branch network, customers can get race information and place bets through other channels³. Branches have stringent access control, and the Club enforces the age restriction through physical access controls as well as ID checks².

Phone. Telephone betting is available, including the 1886 automated telephone betting system¹⁴.

Online and mobile. The Club's online betting service and mobile betting app are part of the channel lineup¹⁴. The app supports iPhone, iPad, Android phones and Windows phones¹⁴. The Club's sites provide access only to the Club's own betting and lottery services¹⁵.

Betting Device. The Club's Betting Device is another way to bet through an account. The Club and the operator may agree and set a deposit for issuing the device, or fees for its use¹⁶. The Club may refuse to provide the device to any account holder, or refuse bets, fund withdrawals or transfers made through it, without giving reasons¹⁶.

Opening a betting account: ID checks, age verification and eWin

The Club's service is account based and requires proof of age. After that, account access requires an account number and password¹⁵. Applicants must provide proof of age when opening a betting account, and confirm with the account number and password when using it¹⁷.

The minimum age is 18 for all Club gambling². The Club enforces this through physical access controls and through ID checks as part of account opening procedures¹⁵. Betting account registration must be backed by proof of age, with multiple verification requirements for subsequent account access².

A few practical points about accounts:

• The Club will not sell betting tickets or pay a dividend on winning tickets for those who are underage².
• If a backer is established to have been under 18 at the time of placing a bet, the bet may be declared void and any dividend, refund or rebate forfeited¹⁰.
• Anyone under 18, or wearing school uniform, may not bet or collect dividends, refunds or rebates, and may not enter any betting location unless authorized by the operator¹¹.
• An eWallet is not transferable and must be used only by the betting account holder to whom the right to use it is granted¹⁸.
• Neither the Club nor the operator is obliged to check whether the person giving instructions is the account holder. Any instruction is treated as given by the holder¹⁸.

The eWallet can be used to place a bet with an operator at a betting terminal, to use the internet except for placing a bet with an operator, to make a withdrawal from the betting account, and to change the PIN¹⁸. The Club may restrict the times of use, the services available, the frequency of use and the transaction amounts per day or over a specified period¹⁸.

No credit betting and other license conditions

The Club only provides cash betting and account-based betting. No credit facilities or credit card betting are allowed². In Chinese-language terms, the Club accepts only cash and account betting, does not accept credit card account betting, and does not provide lending¹⁷. The license conditions require that the Club shall not accept credit betting⁷.

The Fund Transfer Facility is a separate service with its own terms. The Club may refuse any person use of the Fund Transfer Facility, or refuse a funds transfer made through it, without giving any reason to intending bettors, betting account holders or the operator¹⁹. The operator may instruct the Club, or the Club may act under its rules, to refuse any person use of the facility without giving any reason¹⁹. The Club has sole discretion over the betting locations where the facility is provided and the hours of service¹⁹.

The same pattern applies to the eWallet. The operator may instruct the Club to refuse to accept a bet, or to withdraw or transfer funds or process any transaction via the eWallet, without giving any reason¹⁸. The Club may refuse to provide the facility or process any transaction without giving any reason¹⁸. The operator may instruct the Club to refuse, or the Club may refuse, an application without giving any reason¹⁸.

Neither the Club nor the operator is under any liability for failure to accept or implement a transfer instructed via the terminal, third-party account access, incorrect, delayed or omitted transmission or display, terminal failure or malfunction, or acts or omissions of staff or third parties²⁰. In practice, this means a failed transfer is not something you can claim back from the Club.

Self-exclusion and responsible gambling measures

The Club includes treatment and counseling service hotline information in all of its responsible gambling warning messages, information leaflets and betting websites, and contributes continuously to the Ping Wo Fund². The Ping Wo Fund is run with government and welfare bodies to provide counseling, treatment and support for people with gambling problems and their families¹⁷.

The Club must display notices reminding the public of the seriousness of gambling addiction and provide information on problem gambling services²¹. It also displays notices reminding the public of the seriousness of excessive gambling and provides information on the services available for those with gambling disorder²².

The Club offers a bet limit tool as part of its responsible gambling protections⁴. If you want to set limits on your own account, that is the place to look.

The 10% cash rebate on losing bets of HK$10,000 or more

The rebate scheme pays 10% of the total stake on losing bets on the four designated pools in all local races²³. To qualify, a ticket or bet item must have a total losing bet amount of HK$10,000 or more²³.

The current published rate is 10% of the total losing bet amount on Win and Place for local races⁴. Any ticket or betline with a total losing bet amount of HK$10,000 or above placed on a designated pool is eligible to receive a rebate of the prescribed percentage of the total losing bet amount⁴.

Two practical notes. First, the rebate is calculated on losing bets, so it does not apply to a ticket that wins. Second, payouts, refunds and rebates are subject to the rounding rules above, so a rebate is paid in multiples of 50 cents where the ticket is eligible for a dividend, refund or rebate¹⁰.