Editorial | Changes to billiards parlours are on the ball

Laws reflect the times in which they are made – or remade. An example is to be found in a government bill before legislators to amend the Places of Amusement regulation under the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance. The places of amusement in question in this case are “billiards establishments”. Some older citizens might assume that any change would not make it easier for young people to enter them. After all, billiards and snooker parlours were once associated with an outdated image of smoke-filled dens frequented by people of dubious reputation – and seen as the haunt of misspent youth. Nowadays snooker is part of an international professional sporting circuit aspired to by young and even pre-teen Hongkongers.

The bill would keep up with the times – and help nurture future professional players – by widening hours of access for young people. Children as young as eight, including in school uniforms, would be allowed to enter billiard venues until 11pm instead of 8pm. Currently, under-16s cannot enter licensed billiard rooms between 8pm and 10am the next day, a restriction that would be shortened to 11pm to 7am for children aged eight or above.

An industry leader has called for all restrictions to be lifted. “Anyone who has played recently at any billiard establishment will know that [these venues are now] just a place to play the sport,” said Vincent Law, chairman of the Billiard Sports Council of Hong Kong China. He said many snooker players were as young as 12 or 13, and if they had to leave by 8pm that “poses challenges for us” when promoting the sport. “It is highly unlikely anyone that young will be playing at midnight [or they would be] isolated cases. It seems unnecessary to have an ordinance to regulate such a minority.” That sounds in keeping with the changed image of the sport, if not with everyone’s idea of when the very young should be at home in bed.

Law said the changes would help the sport nurture the talent to follow home-grown international stars, including 12-year-old Shaun Liu Yu-san who won this year’s English under-14 snooker title.

Some might query the image of eight-year-olds around a public snooker table at 10.59pm on a week night. The sport has a stake in responsible management under a relaxed regulatory regime.