Founded in 1884, The Hong Kong Jockey Club is a world-class horse racing operator and Hong Kong’s largest community benefactor, as well as one of Asia’s most prestigious membership clubs.
Operating on a unique not-for-profit business model, the Club is governed by Stewards, who work on a strictly voluntary basis to develop and oversee its direction, ensuring it adopts a socially responsible approach to the provision of betting services. Proceeds of the Club are ploughed back to the community through charitable donations, making the Club Hong Kong’s premier charity and community benefactor. Over the years, the Club’s charitable contributions have touched the lives of 75% of the local population.
Being Hong Kong’s single largest taxpayer, the total betting duties and tax payments paid by the Club contribute to the Government’s ability to maintain a low tax regime.
The Club is also one of Hong Kong’s largest employers, with over 24,800 full-time and part-time staff.
The Club is the sole operator authorised by the Government to provide horse racing and football betting entertainment in Hong Kong. It is also tasked by the Government to manage the Mark Six lottery:
The Club operates quality races of high integrity at the two world-class racecourses in Happy Valley and Sha Tin and offers pari-mutuel and fixed odds betting on races. Horse racing contributes the biggest share in the total amount of betting duties paid to the Government.
To combat illegal gambling, the Government in 2003 authorised the Club to operate pari-mutuel and fixed odds betting on selected overseas football matches, with proceeds contributing to betting duties and charitable causes.
The Club began to manage the Mark Six lottery on behalf of the Government in 1975, which was aimed at eradicating rampant illegal gambling on "che fa". It is a 6-out-of-49 lottery game. 25% on the amount of proceeds is paid to the Government as betting duty and another 15% goes to the Government’s Lotteries Fund to finance social welfare projects.
The Club has also given strong financial support to Ping Wo Fund since its inception, contributing to the delivery of counselling service, treatment and support to problem gamblers, in a bid to minimise the possible harm of gambling to society at large.
