Illegal gambling sites will not be blocked in Hong Kong, says regulator

Hong Kong has ruled out Singapore-style measures to stifle the multibillion-dollar online gambling business, amid growing fears internationally about its connections to organised crime.

Draft legislation allowing Singaporean authorities to block access to unlicensed betting websites was introduced this month to tackle a global business that according to a Sunday Morning Post investigation has significant ties to Hong Kong and Macau.

Online betting - the profile and reach of which has seen it embraced as a major advertiser by most of the world's major soccer leagues - is estimated to turn over hundreds of billions of US dollars each year.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club says city punters lose HK$12 billion a year betting online. The club's director of security and integrity, Martin Purbrick, said the business was a key component in what he called the "international expansion and legitimisation of organised crime".

A spokesman for the Home Affairs Bureau, which is ultimately responsible for gaming laws in Hong Kong, said sufficient legislation was in place and it would not go down Singapore's road.

"Respecting freedom to access information, we do not block one's internet access," a spokesman said. "We have adopted a multipronged strategy which includes regulation, law enforcement, public education and provision of counselling and treatment services."