THE Macau Jockey Club (MJC) will build on the breakthrough achieved in televising their races to Hong Kong to firmly establish racing as a viable enterprise at Taipa. The MJC's chief executive, Edmond Wong Ming-nan, said yesterday: 'We are pleased to be able to inform the Hong Kong public of what we are doing at Taipa.
'They can now see our racing and it will certainly attract some of the viewers to the course itself. 'We have some way to go yet, but we are pleased with the start of our television coverage. Our turnover was up by 10 per cent and we can hope for more than that in time.' Wong, who has been at the helm virtually since the start of racing at Taipa, stressed that the MJC were well aware of the laws of Hong Kong in relation to gambling. 'We know what we are doing. I know the laws of Hong Kong myself and we are not out to solicit bets from people,' he said.
'We can show our racing and the Hong Kong people have as much right to see that as they have to see the Melbourne Cup.
'It is up to them if they want to Telebet or come over to Taipa and see the real thing.' The decision of ATV to go ahead and televise five races live from Taipa every weekend has clearly buoyed spirits at Taipa. Although their midweek day meeting on the sand yesterday was sparsely attended, turnover was up on the average midweek of last season.
