Hong Kong's Financial Secretary, Paul Chan, stated that the government will explore the possibility of basketball betting and has invited the Hong Kong Jockey Club for discussions.
The Hong Kong government announced the new fiscal budget, and it was anticipated that the government would address basketball betting. Over the past month, many Hong Kong legislators have suggested legalizing basketball betting to increase fiscal revenue and combat illegal gambling.
In the fiscal budget, Financial Secretary Paul Chan also mentioned basketball betting. He pointed out, "In combating illegal gambling, there has been considerable social concern about illegal basketball betting in recent years. According to the latest assessment by the Hong Kong Jockey Club, last year's illegal basketball betting amounted to between 70 billion and 90 billion Hong Kong dollars."
However, Chan did not provide more detailed information, including whether basketball betting will be implemented or if there is a timeline for discussions.
Chan only stated, "To combat illegal basketball betting, the government will actively explore regulating basketball betting activities and will invite the Hong Kong Jockey Club to submit suggestions."
According to Hong Kong laws, the current legal gambling activities include horse racing, football betting, Mark Six lottery, and licensed mahjong parlors.
In the past two years, many people in Hong Kong have proposed legalizing basketball betting, and the Hong Kong Jockey Club also advocated for its legalization last year. However, at that time, Financial Secretary Paul Chan rejected the suggestion, stating that the Hong Kong government had no intention of legalizing basketball betting, as opening it up would increase tax revenue but was not the right direction.
After announcing the 2025-26 fiscal budget, the Hong Kong SAR government has taken the first step towards legalizing basketball betting.
In recent days, there have been reports that the Hong Kong government is considering legalizing basketball betting to raise additional funds, which could help fill the region's nearly 100 billion Hong Kong dollars (12.86 billion US dollars) deficit.
This idea is not new; it was proposed last year; some political parties called for the legalization of basketball betting to help combat illegal gambling and increase public revenue.
However, Financial Secretary Paul Chan rejected the idea at the time, believing it could send the wrong message and encourage young people to gamble.
It is worth noting that in Hong Kong, only football and horse racing betting are currently allowed, along with the Mark Six lottery.
Previously, Hong Kong announced the 2025-26 fiscal budget, and the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) was invited to submit a proposal for implementing regulated basketball betting.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club emphasized that this move is crucial for combating illegal basketball betting. Illegal basketball betting has caused a series of social issues, with last year's illegal basketball betting turnover reaching between 70 billion and 90 billion Hong Kong dollars.
The club confirmed that it would submit a proposal to the Hong Kong government, hoping to introduce basketball betting to the region and help combat illegal gambling.
