Information released by the Hong Kong government indicates arrests related to cases of illegal gambling in that Chinese special administrative region are pro rata down significantly for the first five months of this year, compared to 12-month data for the previous three years.
The amount of money involved also fell pro rata this year, and the percentage of juveniles linked to such detected activity was also down.
According to information attributed to the Hong Kong Police Force, from January to May inclusive this year, a total of 1,941 people was arrested for illegal gambling. For the whole of 2023, the number was 6,101.
The recent peak was 6,781 people arrested in 2022, coinciding with social restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic still being in place. Hong Kong was in pre-pandemic years – and has been again since 2023 – the second-largest source market for gamblers in neighbouring Macau, the only place in China where casino gaming is a legal activity.
The number arrested in Hong Kong up to the end of May this year for “serious gambling offences” – defined as including “operating or managing an unlawful gambling establishment and bookmaking” – amounted to 181, of whom 1.1 percent were “youths”.
In 2023, the tally detained for serious offences was 666, with 2.1 percent of those classified as youths. The year 2022 was a peak in the three years prior to 2024, with 828 held for serious matters, and 1.8 percent of them being young people.
From January to May inclusive this year, a total of HKD4.6 million (US$589,000) was seized by the Hong Kong authorities in betting slips and cash linked to illegal gambling. For the whole of 2023, the amount was HKD27.6 million, still a fraction of the HKD3.98 billion seized by the Hong Kong authorities in full-year 2021.
The data were in a written reply issued on Wednesday from Chris Tang Ping-keung, Hong Kong’s Secretary for Security, in response to a question from Gary Chan Hak-kan, a member of the city’s Legislative Council.
Gambling is a restricted activity in Hong Kong, with the Hong Kong Jockey Club operating some of the few permitted categories, namely a city-wide lottery, and betting on horse racing and certain other sports betting.
Unlicensed bookmakers targeted
The Secretary’s written reply mentioned that for 2024, illegal gambling websites had been a prominent police target. Last month, Operation Nearspace was said to have targeted online bookmakers.
As of June 24, a total of 62 people had been arrested for “conspiracy to commit bookmaking” and “money laundering”, in connection to Operation Nearspace.
Among them, five were said to be “core members”, 25 were suspected either to be “middlemen” or to have taken part in the operation of the bookmaking websites by assisting in a money laundering process, and 32 were holders of “stooge” accounts, said the Secretary’s statement.
“The amount involved exceeds HKD460 million. The Hong Kong Police Force’s investigation and enforcement action are ongoing,” added the information.
In 2023, police targets had included gambling promoted via social media platforms. In 2022, a local syndicate had been identified as using a mobile game application to recruit gamblers.
The Hong Kong Secretary for Security’s written response noted that “in view of the UEFA Euro [international football championships] being held from June 14 to July 14, 2024, the Hong Kong Police Force enhanced its publicity and education efforts under the theme of Stay Away From Illegal Betting.”
In some general commentary, the reply noted that the Hong Kong police had “all along maintained close intelligence exchange with the [Chinese] mainland, Macau and overseas law enforcement agencies to combat bookmaking and the related gambling activities.”
It added: “For instance, the Hong Kong Police Force and other law enforcement agencies exchange intelligence through annual Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau tripartite meetings and conduct joint law enforcement operations as appropriate.”
On Monday it had been announced that a joint operation involving police from the three jurisdictions had helped to break up an illegal online sports betting operation said to have taken MOP1.08 billion (US$134.2 million) in bets since 2016, including MOP72 million per week during the ongoing Euro 2024 soccer tournament.
