Hong Kong’s finance chief rejects calls to legalise basketball betting
- Financial Secretary responds to calls by several political parties for introduction of basketball betting to combat illegal gambling while increasing public revenue
- Jockey Club earlier said it welcomed proposal and was happy to explore feasibility with government and community
Hong Kong’s finance chief has rejected calls to legalise basketball betting, saying he had deep reservations about the move which could encourage more young people to gamble.
Speaking at the “Redefining Hong Kong: Budget Edition” event organised by the Post on Friday, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po stressed that the proposed measure might send the wrong message to the public.
Chan was responding to calls by several political parties for the introduction of basketball betting to combat illegal gambling while increasing public revenue amid the hefty deficit.
“[For] legalising additional gambling for the purpose of raising government revenue, I am really hesitant. I don’t think this is the right direction,” he said. “If we legalised that, it would affect our youth, and in a way the signal is that the government doesn’t have enough money and we don’t mind people gambling with it and we take a cut.”
The Hong Kong Jockey Club earlier said it welcomed the proposal and was happy to explore its feasibility with the government and community, emphasising that it needed to introduce new betting options to counteract illegal bookmakers.