Hong Kong is considering expanding its legal sports betting framework to include basketball, a move that would mark the first major change to the city’s gambling laws in nearly five decades.
The proposed expansion, first signaled in the government’s 2025–26 Budget, would allow the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) to offer basketball betting alongside its existing horse racing and football markets. Under the current Betting Duty Ordinance, passed in 1977, only these two sports and the lottery are permitted for wagering.
The government said it will launch a public consultation on the proposal, which is aimed at curbing illegal gambling and boosting regulatory oversight.
The move comes as authorities look to counter a booming underground market. The HKJC estimates illegal basketball betting turnover reached between HK$70 billion and HK$90 billion ($8.9 billion–$11.5 billion) in 2024.
By legalizing basketball betting, the government hopes to channel that activity through authorized channels, thereby generating tax revenue and imposing safeguards on betting behavior.
The proposed licensing framework would amend the Betting Duty Ordinance to allow the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs to grant a basketball betting license to the HKJC. Licensing conditions under consideration include a fixed term for the license, a ban on bets involving Hong Kong teams or games played locally, a prohibition on juvenile participation, and restrictions on credit betting.
“As a matter of policy, the government does not encourage gambling,” the Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB) said in a statement. “The Government adopts a pragmatic approach by allowing only a limited number of authorized gambling outlets, which includes authorizing the HKJC to conduct horse race betting, Mark Six Lottery and football betting in accordance with the Betting Duty Ordinance.”
“There is, however, undeniably an actual and persistent demand for gambling in Hong Kong which, if left unregulated, would likely give rise to illegal gambling activities and associated social problems and other criminal activities,” it added.
The Betting and Lotteries Commission (BLC) and the HKJC have both expressed support for the measure, having jointly proposed it following last month’s budget announcement.
In a separate move, the government extended the HKJC’s exclusive football betting license for another five years.
Hong Kong’s proposed reforms further distinguish it from mainland China, where all forms of gambling remain illegal. Macau, China’s only other region where gambling is allowed, continues to operate one of the world’s largest casino markets, though it faces growing political pressure to diversify its economy away from gaming.
