The Gambling (Amendment) Bill being hastily rushed through the Legislative Council will, if passed, result in the actions of many law-abiding citizens being instantly criminalised. Simply placing a bet with an overseas bookmaker will leave you open to prosecution.

The Government should wake up to the fact that it has spent many years nurturing a gambling, risk-taking culture. It has facilitated, through the Jockey Club, the ability of its residents to gamble as excessively as they wish on horse racing and the Mark Six, and on securities at retail brokers. To now suggest social and moral problems will increase if the bill is not passed smacks of double standards, particularly when you consider that the Government is also considering whether to regulate football betting. My bet, if permitted, is that the Government will eventually allow gambling on such events via the Jockey Club.

However, if the scope of service and odds on offer are not up to the standard of overseas bookmakers, local punters should have the legal right to choose where to place their bet. After all, we are not restricted to buying a book at a local retailer. We can go to Amazon.com if its product is superior.