Jockey Club needs to be shown more flexibility      南華早報         2009-07-06

The gaming industry is ever-changing and evolving. Years of government inaction has meant Hong Kong has fast been falling behind regional competitors. A backing of the Jockey Club's long-sought request for additional race days and simulcasts of overseas meetings finally gives the betting franchise greater competitiveness. Devotees of the sport and punters are the obvious winners, but we should keep firmly in mind that we all benefit through the club's position as our city's most successful social enterprise.

Exactly what the financial implications of the increase of race meetings from 78 to 83 and the changing of the rules for simulcast days will mean is for now uncertain. What is clear is that if more punters are drawn to wager on races, the community will be the biggest winner through extra tax revenue for government coffers. Our claim to be Asia's horse racing capital will be strengthened. More tourists will presumably be drawn to our city and, consequently, the tracks at Happy Valley and Sha Tin.

There is no denying that gambling can be addictive and cause social problems. This has been the crux of arguments by conservative groups in lobbying the government to curtail the club's betting activities. A decade of requests to increase the number of racing days and expand live coverage of races elsewhere have in consequence been rejected. This is despite experience elsewhere that there is little to fear if the activity is properly regulated, put in the hands of responsible operators and supported by counsellors knowledgeable in treating addictions.

The club is without doubt responsible. It has world-class management that has firmly put Hong Kong on the international racing map. This has been achieved in tandem with an innovative framework in which taxes from its betting income go directly to the government - a figure set at an annual minimum of HK$8 billion. Welfare groups and charities received a further HK$1 billion last year.

Whether there are enough counsellors is debatable. Studies show only a small percentage of gamblers are prone to addiction, but Hong Kong's needs are unclear due to the nature of the affliction. More research is certainly necessary. The impact of the new arrangements must be closely observed.

Regulation is quite another matter. The government has the final say in every change that the club wants to make in its gaming operations - no matter how small. This micro-management has led to a loss of competitiveness. Gamblers have increasingly turned to Macau and other gaming centres, the internet and illegal bookmaking syndicates.

An increase in the number of operational days would be a straightforward management decision for a company. The club's desire to hold more meetings has been frustrated by lawmakers. It first put forward the idea in 2006 and it was only last Friday that the Executive Council finally gave the go-ahead. No good argument was ever given for the rejection; its determination appeared to be based on a desire not to antagonise anti-gambling lobbyists.

The club is unusual in the gaming world; it is a charitable organisation in its own right that provides legal gambling services. It is also one of Hong Kong's biggest employers. Approval of an enlargement of the racing calendar is a small, but important, achievement. If the club is to meet challenges like competition from overseas and illegal operators, the step must serve as a harbinger of greater flexibility by authorities towards its activities.

Aid groups condemn extra race days     中國日報香港版  2009-07-04

HONG KONG: Aid groups providing assistance for problem gamblers strongly opposed the decision allowing the Jockey Club to hold five more days of horse racing, said the groups’ officers.

Siu Yu-fat, a pastor at the Kei Yam Family Services Centre, which helps problem gamblers to kick the habit, said horse racing is the most detrimental to family life among the various forms of gambling. “Horse racing punters tend to spend a lot of time reading racing information and neglect their families. They want to seek satisfaction through betting and prove that they have an eye for good horses,” said Siu. He said the more time parents spend on gambling, the more their youngsters are likely to go astray. “Youth drug abuse problem is getting prevalent. It partly arises from family problems facing the teens. Many of them feel neglected by their parents,” said Siu. He said many working people risk their lives when they become addicted to gambling. He described the decision by authorities to green-light the extra racing days as ridiculous, since authorities are well aware of the adverse effects of gambling on young people. Although the Jockey Club claimed that the extra race days will help create several thousand jobs, Siu warned, on the other side of the issue, many people may gamble away their families’ security.

Wu Chi-wai, the convener of Hong Kong Gambling Watch, which consists of religious, educational and social welfare groups, said he was disappointed at the Executive Council’s decision. “It will certainly make gamblers place bets more often and make them become more addictive,” he said.

Joe Tang Yiu-cho, the social work supervisor of the Caritas Addicted Gamblers Counselling Centre, said adding five more racing days may induce people to gamble more.

“It will not only affect gamblers themselves, but also their families,” he said. Some 17.8 percent of the center’s 2,615 problem gamblers counseled between October 2003 and May this year said they considered suicide after becoming addicted to gambling, according to a survey. Tang also urged government to invest part of the increased revenue from betting duties into the Ping Wo Fund of the Home Affairs Bureau, to fund more preventive and remedial programs that address gambling-related problems.

Poon Yan-chi, the director of the Rehabilitation Centre for Problem Gamblers at the Industrial Evangelistic Fellowship, predicted his organization will see increased numbers of problem gamblers in the coming racing season. He criticized the government for ignoring the social costs the community will bear due to the extra race days.

A survey carried out by the Polytechnic University in March last year found that seven of every 10 Hong Kong people had gambled in the 12 months preceding the poll.

Some 2,088 people aged 15 or older were polled. The survey was commissioned by the Home Affairs Bureau.

賽馬日准增 博彩稅不減 庫房年多收五億團體憂助長賭風     大公報   2009-07-04

歷經數年爭議，行政會議終「拍板」通過馬會可在新馬季開始，增加五個本地賽馬日及十五個海外賽事轉播日。為此，政府庫房每年可增加約五億一千萬元稅收，並創造四千個就業機會。雖然政府否決馬會減低博彩稅率至百分之六十七，以及削減馬會增加二十個海外轉播日的建議，但馬迷可買馬的日子勢將由每季七十八日飆升至九十八日。明光社擔心賽馬日增加，令馬迷可在暑假期間投注變相鼓勵賭博，影響家庭關係。

馬會表示，外國的稅率較本港低很多，例如英國的博彩稅率只有百分之十五，因而向政府建議，調低現時收取最少百分之七十二點五的博彩稅率，至百分之六十七，但遭到拒絕。民政事務局常任秘書長尤曾家麗表示，調低稅率會令政府的博彩稅收大幅減少，因此暫不考慮這要求。

現時馬會的毛利在一百一十億元或以下的稅率為百分之七十二點五，其後每增加十億元，稅率即上升半個百分點，直至達一百五十億元為止，毛利超過一百五十億元後的稅率亦固定百分之七十五。

新措施亦令馬會需要增聘四千人，目前已聘請一千人。馬會透露，下星期將增聘二十個賽馬見習員，進行騎馬、馬匹管理及照料等訓練。

馬會發言人表示，每年七月十六日至八月三十一日將維持抖暑；但尤曾家麗說，建議並無規定在抖暑期間不能轉播海外賽事。

明光社總幹事蔡志森指出，市民暑假期間仍可以投注，即鼓勵賭博。他說，不滿馬會千方百計要將馬季押後至暑假期間，擔心令年輕人在放假時參與賭馬，亦令馬迷減少陪伴家人時間，影響親子關係。

但民政局認為不會助長賭風，認為建議已很克制，亦平衡各方利益，包括家長、老師和社工的擔心。尤曾家麗表示，增加本地賽馬日的比例不高，而轉播海外賽事是為服務「小眾」馬迷，故此影響人數不太多；她還稱「成年人要自己做個抉擇。」而政府今次在增加稅收的原因外，亦搬出其他理據作「拍板」原因。政府認為，建議對旅遊業有正面作用，可吸引更多自由行旅客，加強與周邊城市包括新加坡及澳門等正發展娛樂事業的城市之間的競爭力（見另稿）；增加就業機會和各行業的經濟效益；以及要求馬會進一步資助用作預防和緩減賭博問題的平和基金。

調低稅率增投注額        星島日報        2009-07-07

馬會早前向政府申請調減稅項，結果沒被批准，理由是減低稅率將對政府稅收構成影響。其實馬會多年前曾向海外推銷本港的賽馬產品，希望可以增加投注額。而當時不少國家的賽馬機構，均有興趣轉播香港賽事並設獨立彩池受注，只可惜他們均認為香港稅率太高並不划算，結果商談告吹。故此，如政府肯調低稅收，想必能吸引更多海外賽馬機構設彩池投注本港賽事，屆時稅收亦相應增加。另一方面，由於下季將增加五個賽馬日，故現時馬匹的數量並不足以應付。據悉馬會將放寬後備籤馬主的養馬名額，相信稍後馬會將有正式公布。