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Murray Bell

HK ID card no longer needed, opening service to mainlanders

The Hong Kong Jockey Club is relaxing the requirements for opening a betting account - and mainland visitors stand to benefit.

The changes, announced yesterday, mean customers no longer need to hold a Hong Kong ID card to open a betting account. They are required only to have a Hong Kong bank account.

Jockey Club chairman Ronald Arculli  denied the club was trying to lure overseas punters, or that it would be in breach of the Good Neighbour Policy, which prevents member countries marketing their racing product to citizens of other member nations.

'We are not soliciting players from other countries and are not encouraging them to bet on Hong Kong racing from home,' he said.  'But when they are in Hong Kong, and wish to bet with us, we can provide a service to them.'

In other efforts to make  betting easier for visitors, money exchange counters will be in place  at the season's first race meeting next Sunday, and both Happy Valley and Sha Tin racecourses will be fitted with  cashpoints.

In order to tap growing interest from overseas racing fans in Hong Kong races and to create an additional source of revenue, Mr Arculli said the club would continue negotiating with overseas counterparts about exporting its racing product. In one such tie-up, three Asia Racing Federation jurisdictions - Singapore, Malaysia and New Zealand - would simulcast Hong Kong's races in the coming season.

Mr Arculli again warned that the government's failure to support  much-needed betting duty reform could reduce the club's donations to charity next year.

Betting on races has declined for seven straight years.

'This year the club gave away $975 million to charity, and in 2003 it was $1 billion. But it's not just the money - so many non-government organisations and volunteer groups, with over 170,000 volunteers, depend on this assistance to support their work. If the Jockey Club could no longer pay, it would fall to the government or the private sector to pick up the shortfall.'

Mr Arculli said archaic laws limited the club's ability to do business.



Jockey Club relaxes betting account rules