The Legislative Council passed the Betting Duty (Amendment) Bill 2025 today (Sept. 11) during its third reading, officially legalizing basketball betting in Hong Kong. Of the 89 incumbent legislators, 83 attended the vote, with 77 voting in favor of the amendment, two voting against, and two abstaining.
The Betting Duty (Amendment) Bill 2025 aims to amend the Betting Duty Ordinance (Chapter 108) and its subsidiary legislation to establish a regulatory framework for basketball betting. Key provisions include empowering the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs to issue licenses for basketball betting operations and impose license conditions, specifying the calculation and collection of gambling duties (set at 50% of net betting turnover, aligning with the current football betting tax rate), and expanding the functions of the Gambling and Lotteries Commission to cover regulatory matters related to basketball betting.
Following the passage of the bill, the government will issue a basketball betting license to the Hong Kong Jockey Club, mirroring the existing models for horse racing and football betting. The Home and Youth Affairs Bureau stated that this approach will further mitigate the adverse effects of gambling on the public, particularly youth. Additionally, the government will allocate additional resources to establish new centers focused on providing counseling and support services for young people and enhance public education efforts to warn against participation in illegal gambling activities.
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