Call to check tech trends when drafting policies after basketball betting U-turn

Hong Kong authorities should consider the impact of technological developments when drafting policies, observers have said, noting the government’s decision to halt plans for basketball betting reflected a lack of thorough discussion.
Their remarks on Tuesday followed the government announcing the suspension over concerns about new “prediction market” gambling while warning that it was illegal for Hongkongers to bet on sports events on such trading platforms.

An amendment bill to the Betting Duty Ordinance was passed in September to empower the secretary for home and youth affairs to license a basketball betting operator in the city, aiming to tackle illegal gambling.

“The development of technology is faster than the pace of legislation. In such a situation, if the government is worried that betting will be easily manipulated by others, halting it is not a bad thing,” former lawmaker Doreen Kong Yuk-foon said.

“In future legislative processes, when the government prepares its policy papers, it should include a prediction on [the influence of] technological development, as we do not wish to see such a situation for a second time.”

The prediction market refers to a cryptocurrency-based gambling model, where participants can trade “shares” based on the outcome of a specific “yes-or-no event”, such as the results of elections and sports competitions.

Source link

Visited 1 times, 1 visit(s) today

Related Article

How PayMe’s 3.3 million users and Hong Kong firms could start using stablecoins

How PayMe’s 3.3 million users and Hong Kong firms could start using stablecoins

For Hong Kong’s 3.3 million PayMe users, everyday transactions such as buying coffee or splitting bills with friends could soon involve stablecoins, with HSBC preparing to introduce the digital currency in the second half of this year. That comes after HSBC Holdings, together with a Standard Chartered-led joint venture, became the first to obtain a

15 April 2026
Prediction market boom raises concerns as Hong Kong calls off basketball bets

Prediction market boom raises concerns as Hong Kong calls off basketball bets

Prediction market platforms offering diverse gambling options and attractive odds are surging in popularity, observers have said, warning about payout risks amid Hong Kong authorities halting plans to legalise basketball betting. They also said on Tuesday that Hong Kong residents who took part in these platforms, which use cryptocurrency for transactions, could be breaking gambling

14 April 2026
Wang Fuk Court resident reports suspected theft from fire-hit flat

Wang Fuk Court resident reports suspected theft from fire-hit flat

A resident of Hong Kong’s fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court housing estate in Tai Po has said that a drawer in her flat had been rummaged through, prompting a police investigation and rekindling burglary fears in the sealed residential complex. Police launched the probe after a resident surnamed Lee raised concerns about a possible burglary early

14 April 2026
Hong Kong landlords face HK$17,000 inspection bill over ignored water seepage

Hong Kong landlords face HK$17,000 inspection bill over ignored water seepage

Hong Kong landlords who fail to fix water seepage affecting flats below face a minimum inspection bill of HK$17,000 (US$2,170) if they take no action within 28 days of notification under a pilot scheme designed to fast-track such cases. The plan, launched by a joint office under the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) and

14 April 2026
A giant cat statue in Hong Kong International Airport

Giant Interactive Cat Appears at Hong Kong International Airport

Hong Kong International Airport has kicked off its Easter holiday celebrations with the introduction of a giant interactive cat, which follows a series of special events at the airport. Situated in Arrivals Hall A; the installation, a Moment to Purr, is inspired by the concept of a virtual pet, and invites passengers to engage with

14 April 2026
curved wall and staircase in lobby design Mandarin Oriental

Mandarin Oriental The Landmark, Hong Kong unveils its next chapter • Hotel Designs

Located in the heart of Central, Mandarin Oriental The Landmark, Hong Kong returns with a renewed arrival experience, refreshed rooms and suites, and expanded culinary and wellness offerings, marking a new era for this celebrated Asian property. Reimagined by Hong Kong interior architect Joyce Wang, founder and principal of Joyce Wang Studio, its 109 rooms

14 April 2026
Discovery Bay developer eyes longer taxi trial amid safety fears

Discovery Bay developer eyes longer taxi trial amid safety fears

The developer of Hong Kong’s Discovery Bay is considering extending its trial period and limiting operating hours for cabbies to gain full access to the resort-style seaside community amid opposition from some residents. The Islands District Council’s Traffic and Transport Committee held a meeting on Tuesday to discuss the paper presented by Hong Kong Resort

14 April 2026
Hong Kong insurance complaints body records 857 cases last year, up 33% from 2024

Hong Kong insurance complaints body records 857 cases last year, up 33% from 2024

Hong Kong’s insurance complaints body recorded a 32.7 per cent jump in new cases last year to 857, with medical and travel policies accounting for most of the disputes. The Insurance Claims Complaints Panel under the Insurance Complaints Bureau on Tuesday released the numbers for 2025, which showed that last year’s 857 new complaint cases

14 April 2026
Hong Kong retiree gets one year in jail for seditious social media comments

Hong Kong retiree gets one year in jail for seditious social media comments

Former salesman Raymond Chong Wai-man, 61, pleaded guilty on Tuesday at West Kowloon Court to knowingly publishing 53 seditious Facebook posts that denigrated the central and local authorities between March 26, 2024 and November 29 last year. Chong, a father of two, drew official ire after commenting on the inferno in Tai Po that engulfed

14 April 2026
Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Hong Kong’s basketball betting U-turn ‘aligns with Beijing gambling clampdown’

Hong Kong’s sole legal betting operator and lawmakers were caught off guard by the government’s abrupt decision to suspend the rollout of legal basketball betting, which some believe was intended to align with Beijing’s efforts to curb gambling amid a surge in prediction markets. The government confirmed on Monday that it would suspend its plan

14 April 2026
New York’s Met to debut glittering global jewellery exhibition in Hong Kong

New York’s Met to debut glittering global jewellery exhibition in Hong Kong

Diamond-studded necklaces, golden pectorals and ceremonial small swords are among about 200 jewellery and decorative pieces, covering 4,000 years of history across five continents, to be showcased in Hong Kong from Wednesday. Titled “Treasures of Global Jewellery from the Metropolitan Museum of Art: The Body Transformed”, the show at the Hong Kong Palace Museum marks

14 April 2026
Public universities admit 65 non-local DSE pupils last year, a fivefold jump since 2022

Public universities admit 65 non-local DSE pupils last year, a fivefold jump since 2022

The number of non-local students admitted to Hong Kong’s public universities with Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) qualifications has risen fivefold in four years, according to the Education Bureau. By comparison, the number of local DSE candidates who qualified for those universities fell by 5 per cent over the same period, the bureau said on

14 April 2026
Luke Ferraris, Mark Newnham and wife Donna celebrate My Wish's win

Newnham, Fownes battle for Hong Kong trainers’ title

There’s no prize money for winning the Hong Kong trainers’ championship. Not a cent. It’s all sporting pride and glory – every trainer in this town wants it on the CV, wants their name up on that board, wants to be called champion. And here’s the other thing people forget: the championship isn’t decided by

14 April 2026
Advisory body to be given power to probe government department heads for serious offences

Advisory body to be given power to probe government department heads for serious offences

A statutory advisory body in Hong Kong will be given new powers as early as June to investigate government department heads over “serious, widespread or systemic” problems, as part of a broader push to institutionalise official accountability. The subsidiary legislation drafted by the Civil Service Bureau, which was submitted to the Legislative Council on Tuesday,

14 April 2026
DSE citizenship exam tests students on social awareness and national principles

DSE citizenship exam tests students on social awareness and national principles

Hong Kong students sitting the citizenship and social development paper in university entrance exams on Tuesday were tested on the “One Country, Two Systems” governing principle, as well as contemporary topics such as e-commerce, online influencers and the new economy. About 50,300 candidates sat the CSD paper for the Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) this

14 April 2026
Opinion | Hong Kong must go beyond its intermediary role to become a global anchor

Opinion | Hong Kong must go beyond its intermediary role to become a global anchor

The world is undergoing a transformation of historic proportions. Geopolitical rivalry, economic restructuring and technological acceleration are converging to reshape the global order. These changes transcend the logic of any single nation, industry or moment in time, exerting profound influence on international politics, geoeconomics, industrial structures, capital flows and investment strategies. For Hong Kong, this

14 April 2026
Hong Kong star Keung To from Cantopop boyband Mirror. Photo: Keung To, via Instagram.

Keung To of Cantopop boyband Mirror fined HK$2,200 for 3 driving offences

Hong Kong star Keung To, a member of the popular Cantopop boyband Mirror, has been fined HK$2,200 after pleading guilty to careless driving and two other traffic offences involving two different vehicles last year. Hong Kong star Keung To from Cantopop boyband Mirror. Photo: Keung To, via Instagram. Keung, 26, did not appear at the

14 April 2026
Hong Kong tram operator launches real-time app, pledges no fare rise this year

Hong Kong tram operator launches real-time app, pledges no fare rise this year

Hong Kong’s tram operator has launched a new mobile app that provides real-time arrival information while pledging not to raise fares this year. Hong Kong Tramways on Tuesday announced the new app which would use location data to inform commuters of the arrival times and destinations of the next three trams at their stop. Paul

14 April 2026
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x